William has unveiled Belfast as the fourth pilot location of his Homewards housing scheme as he plans to spend time at the East Belfast Mission during his stopover in the city.
He was cheered by well-wishers as he arrived at Skainos, a community centre in east Belfast, where he will learn about local initiatives to address homelessness during his brief visit.
The heir to the throne will hear about the work being done to fight homelessness in one of the city’s most economically deprived areas and learn about their new housing development ‘240’.
Yesterday, William had a packed day starting in London, before travelling to Bournemouth and going on to Newport in Wales as he visited different schemes which aim to both help the homeless and prevent people from taking to the streets.
In Lambeth, south London he visited Mosiac Clubhouse, an organisation that offers support to those suffering with mental health conditions in the borough.
While there he spoke about how his visits to homeless shelters as a child with his mother Princess Diana had left a “lasting impression” on him.
He added: “I met so many extraordinary people and listened to so many heart-breaking personal stories. Too many people have found themselves without a stable and permanent place to call home.”
In Bournemouth William met with a local enterprise which uses practical skills such as carpentry to enable people to secure employment and end the cycle of repeated homelessness.
He kept things light-hearted however as he tried his hand using a wood turning lathe and joked he would try to “keep all my fingers”, although he later admitted he found the experience “therapeutic”.
He travelled onto Newport later in the afternoon, where he teamed up with former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, an advocate for the Homewards project.
William and Geri met with pupils at Maindee Primary School and heard first-hand accounts of how local schools can support children and families through early intervention to prevent them ending up homeless.
At the end of his busy day the future King tweeted a message of gratitude, posting: “Thank you to everyone today in Lambeth, Newport and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for an inspiring day of conversation about just some of the key themes to address as we tackle homelessness.”
