UK

Prince of Wales to meet young people experiencing homelessness at London shelter

This year marks the 20th anniversary of William being a patron of Centrepoint, a youth homeless charity.

The Prince of Wales is patron of charity Centrepoint
The Prince of Wales is patron of charity Centrepoint (Victoria Jones/PA)

The Prince of Wales will meet young people experiencing homelessness during a visit to a charity centre in London.

During the trip on Tuesday, William will speak to some of those being supported by the charity, Centrepoint, and enjoy sports activities provided by the service, including boxing and table football.

The centre in Ealing provides 17 beds for young people aged 16 to 25 experiencing homelessness, as well as support services such as employment opportunities and access to education and counselling to help users build an independent future.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of William being a patron of Centrepoint, a youth homeless charity.

Ending homelessness has been a long-term focus for the Prince of Wales, who has told how visiting shelters with his mother when he was a child left a deep and lasting impression and inspired his work.

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In December, William helped serve Christmas lunch at a homeless shelter run by charity The Passage that he was introduced to by Diana, Princess of Wales.

In 2023, 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 UK 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.

Centrepoint is a key partner of the Homewards project and helps to advise The Royal Foundation on the design and development of the programme.

A documentary entitled Prince William: We Can End Homelessness aired in October to mark the first year of the initiative.