Prince William
He declares war on homelessness with a new campaign
Prince William campaigns against homelessness.
© imago images/PA Images
Like his mother, fighting homelessness is a matter of the heart for Prince William. Now he is starting a big initiative.
Prince William launches a new initiative against homelessness. According to media reports takes the British heir to the throne three million British pounds (about 3.5 million euros) in his hand. The goal of the campaign is to make phases of homelessness “rare, short-term and non-recurring”. The campaign runs for five years.
“Everyone should have a safe and secure home and be treated with dignity,” William said. For the Prince of Wales, homelessness is something that should not exist in a “modern and progressive society”. Nevertheless, according to the BBC, many people live in the UK without a fixed address.
William follows in the footsteps of Princess Diana
Prince William’s charity plans to work with local initiatives across six locations to get housing projects and relief services off the ground. William will present the six locations to the public as part of a tour of the country.
For Prince William, the fight against homelessness is a matter close to his heart. He has been involved in this field for a long time. In London, for example, he sold newspapers for the homeless and distributed food in the aid center The Passage. Young William had already visited the facility in 1993 with his mother Princess Diana (1961-1997). Helping homeless people was also a high priority for Lady Di.
Allegations of hypocrisy against Prince William
But there is also criticism of the prince’s commitment. “The last thing we need is William to take action on this matter, a man who owns three big houses and a huge estate that was gifted to him by the state,” Graham Smith of anti-monarchy group Republic told the BBC “.
A Kensington Palace spokesman defended William against accusations of hypocrisy. “This isn’t about a PR stunt. It’s about trying to change the way we as a society think about homelessness,” he said.
Matt Downie, head of the Crisis charity, is also helping him. “People affected by homelessness can smell when someone isn’t authentic,” he told the BBC. “I can see the difference between people who want to get involved in this topic for PR purposes and people who really want to correct a social injustice.”