Prince William has called on everyone to come together and end homelessness, as he opened a new housing program aimed at helping young people get their lives back on track.
The Prince of Wales today hailed the new youth housing initiative as "inspirational" as he expressed hope that it would "show everyone how we really can end homelessness". William, 40, patron of Centrepoint, attended the opening of Reuben House, the charity's development in Peckham, south London, unveiling 33 self-contained flats for young people aged 18 to 24 for whom the rent is capped at a third of their salaries.
The flats are intended to act as a stepping stone, offering residents the chance to leave homelessness behind and move on with their lives. The future King told staff how incredibly impressed he was with the modern units, each of which contains a bed, a small kitchen area and a bathroom, describing them as "seriously smart".
As he sat down with three young people, two of them residents, in one of the flats, the heir to the throne said: "It's like home already" before adding: "It's that first step and then you move from there."
One resident, Jordan, 18, a mixologist who has lived at Reuben House since February, said it was "one of the best opportunities" he had ever had, adding: "I'm in a lot better place now than I was before. "
William, who is due to announce a major project on homelessness later this month, said he hoped the Centrepoint initiative would be used as a model across the UK.
William last year pledged ahead of his 40th birthday to continue "shining" a light on the "solvable issue" of homelessness - and to introduce his children to charities supporting rough sleepers.
He also joined a Big Issue seller on the streets of London and penned an article for the magazine about his experiences.
His mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, brought William to a homeless shelter when he was aged 11 to broaden the future King's horizons and today he is patron of the homelessness charities Centrepoint and The Passage.
William said the new project was "exactly what we need more of" and described the development as a "really good best practice model" that he hoped other local authorities would replicate elsewhere.
The prince vowed to change the position on homelessness, suggesting that if local councils were on board, the charity would be able to help "energize" such projects and then provide wraparound services to residents.