The Prince of Wales has expressed his hope that homelessness can be made rare during a visit to The Passage.
Prince William, who was on hand to open the homelessness charity’s newly refurbished Passage House location and its new Bentley House, said that he has plans to roll out a homelessness initiative that will, he hopes, help make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurrent.
The Prince of Wales said in a speech that, “The work that I have seen first-hand over many years is the reason I know that ending homelessness must be thought of as more than simply a wishful aspiration. Instead, it should be viewed as an achievable goal, one that working together we can and must accomplish.”
Passage House and Bentley House will help 225 individuals each year; both help those who are either newly homeless or those who have a history with homelessness, and encourages them to live independently while providing support to get off the streets.
The Prince continued: “The Passage is taking an innovative approach to preventing homelessness – they are working collaboratively with others in society to tackle this challenge.
“No single organisation or sector can end homelessness; but by working together in true partnership, organisations like The Passage can help demonstrate it is not an inevitable part of life.”
The Passage’s Chief Executive, Mick Clarke, said in a statement on the charity’s website that “We recognise that no one in this country is born on the streets; circumstances cause people to become street homeless. Our role is to ensure that everyone who comes to our door is given access to those opportunities; opportunities that are the fundamental right of every person in this country.”
Clarke then thanked William, along with the charity’s staff, volunteers and donors, saying that they all “provide the vital ingredients of heart, soul and love which enables these projects to be not just houses, but homes.”
Of his future plans, the Prince of Wales said “I am determined to play a significant role to support this becoming a reality and look forward to sharing further details later this year. I am personally more determined than ever to play my part in working with others to do all we can to stop the human tragedy that is homelessness.”
Kensington Palace later tweeted: “Ending homelessness must be more than a wishful aspiration. It should be viewed as an achievable goal – one that we can and must accomplish by working together.”
