Britain's Prince William has called for a movement that creates “systemic change” to end homelessness in the UK.
William made the comments on Wednesday evening as Centrepoint, the homeless charity he supports as a patron, staged an awards ceremony recognising the achievements of young people who have transformed their lives after experiencing homelessness.
Speaking at the Kensington Palace event, which was hosted by broadcaster Claudia Winkleman, William said: “I am inspired by the ambition and commitment of all the award winners and nominees this evening. You should all be incredibly proud of yourselves.
“What inspires me the most about the young people here this evening, is that they have not only overcome homelessness to achieve their personal ambitions, but they are also all contributing to the communities in which they live… be that through teaching, fundraising or volunteering.
“While homelessness is of course a complex societal issue, I passionately believe that it can, and should, be ended.”
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William said he believed this required “a movement that creates systemic change” which “focuses on prevent rather than management” and “ensures all young people have truly affordable options to live and thrive independently”.
He added: “I am delighted that Centrepoint is already making significant headway on this vision. Their work testing innovative solutions such as Upstream Prevention and the Independent Living Programme are examples of how we can create the necessary change to end youth homelessness.
“I know that many of you here in this room are making that change possible. You are helping to improve the lives of future generations. We must remain optimistic by the progress that we see and the stories of success we hear.
“But to achieve the level of systemic change needed to end youth homelessness in the UK, there is still so much more to do.
“If you have been inspired by the young people you will meet this evening, then please think about what it is that you can do to bring change in your communities to ultimately end youth homelessness for good.
“We will only be successful in bringing about that change, if we work together.”
Last year, William launched the Homewards project which aims to develop a blueprint for eradicating homelessness in all its forms, “making it rare, brief and unrepeated”.
The five-year initiative has seen Homewards teams set up in six locations – Newport, Lambeth, Belfast, Aberdeen, Sheffield and three neighbouring Dorset towns, Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch – with the aim of delivering bespoke solutions to issues in each area.
