Prince William targets homelessness in Aberdeen as part of UK campaign
- Published
Prince William was in Aberdeen on Tuesday afternoon
Prince William has visited Aberdeen as he launches a five-year campaign aimed at ending homelessness in the UK.
The Prince of Wales's charitable foundation is putting in £3m of funding in a bid to make homelessness "rare, brief and unrepeated".
Aberdeen was the only Scottish leg of a two-day whistle-stop tour of the UK, which had begun on Monday.
He visited Tillydrone Community Campus to learn about the work being done.
The Duke of Rothesay met a group of children at Tillydrone Community Campus
Aberdeen was the only Scottish leg of the prince's UK campaign launch
Speaking to a team of nurses working in a health unit set up at the facility, he said: "You guys have been chosen for a reason.
"You've got ambition, you're doing amazing work and we want to help what you're doing.
"It's not just about a person sleeping in the street - support services are crucial."
Known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland, the prince has previously has said homelessness should not exist in a "modern and progressive society".
Ahead of the launch, Prince William had discussed the project with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and the first ministers of Scotland and Wales.
It is a cause that is deeply personal to the prince, which he has linked to the influence of his mother, Princess Diana, who brought him to homelessness charities as a child.
There are believed to be more than 300,000 people currently homeless across the UK, which includes those who are in hostels and temporary accommodation, living in cars and sofa-surfing, as well as people who are sleeping rough.
Prince William's plan is to bring together local coalitions of housing experts, charities and private industry to develop housing projects and support services, addressing different ways that homelessness occurs, whether in big cities or coastal towns.
In Aberdeen, the prince met Danni Jack - who described being "on the streets" for two months in 2022.
Danni Jack said being homeless in Aberdeen was a "rough" experience
"It was definitely a rough one," the 18-year-old said of being homeless. "I'd say a traumatic experience that taught me a lot.
"I now know how to survive, and that through any hard days there are good ones to match."
"I feel like it definitely needs to be talked about a bit more. There's a giant stigma around youth homelessness.
"It affected my life immensely. Because of my time on the streets, I didn't pass college. I'm going back to do that this year and hopefully I'll finally achieve the grade I never could."
Prince William with his mother Diana and brother Harry at The Passage homelessness charity in 1993
The campaign has published opinion polling from Ipsos of more than 3,000 adults in the UK, which suggests the level of public concern and support for an intervention.
85% think homelessness is a very or fairly serious problem
72% think homelessness has got worse in the past year
73% think ending homelessness is not given enough attention
22% have had a personal experience of homelessness, whether themselves, family or friends
Anti-monarchy group Republic said homelessness was about government policy and investment and would not be "resolved by charity or royal patronage".
However, Kensington Palace said it was about the prince using his public platform to make a positive difference.
- Published26 June 2023
- Published26 June 2023
