Prince William is following in his late mother’s footsteps.
On Monday, the Prince of Wales presented a five-year plan to make homelessness in the United Kingdom “rare, brief and unrepeated.”
The heir to the throne shared that his mother, Princess Diana, first took him to a housing shelter when he was 11. “The visits we made, left a deep and lasting impression,” he added.
“I met so many extraordinary people and listened to so many heartbreaking personal stories,” he said as he visited a mental health charity in south London. “Too many people have found themselves without a stable and permanent place to call home.″
The initiative, known as Homewards, involve collaborative efforts between local people, organizations and businesses to develop programs tailored to the needs of their communities.
Prince William launched Homeward, a five-year program delivered by the Royal Foundation, which will aim to demonstrate the possibility of ending homelessness. (Photo by Chris Jackson)
William aims to turn to countries who have nearly eliminated homelessness, such as Finland, to pave the way for people in crisis to receive permanent housing as a first step before trying to address other issues such as substance abuse, William said.
“It’s a big task, but I firmly believe that by working together it is possible to make homelessness rare, brief, and unrepeated, and I am very much looking forward to working with our six locations to make our ambition a reality,” William said in a statement.
Princess Diana first took Prince William to a homeless shelter when he was 11. In this photo, Diana and William are pictured with Prince Harry at an amusement park. (Photo by Julian Parker)
However, when he was asked whether there were any plans to put affordable housing in the Duchy of Cornwall, he answered, “Absolutely.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Social housing,” he told the Times. “You’ll see that when it’s ready. I’m no policy expert, but I push it where I can.”