The Duke of Cambridge has urged Londoners to help the homeless amid the coronavirus pandemic. Prince William is a patron of homeless charity The Passage, and this is an issue close to his heart. Speaking to charity CEO Mick Clarke, the Duke called the situation "life and death" while issuing an impassioned plea for rough sleepers. William said: "We are in a life and death fight to help those people living on the streets in this public health emergency."
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Speaking of the conversation, Mike said: "We had 20-minute conservation and he recognised that is a public health emergency for those who are on the streets and in shelters. So it was good to tell him that everyone in the voluntary sector but also local and central government is doing everything that they can to try and get people off the streets and into places of safety."
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© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
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He continued: "We don’t want to get 80 per cent of people off the streets only to return them when this crisis is over. The duke was very keen for us to explore ways to avoid that happening."
The CEO also spoke of the ways that hotel chains are helping the homeless amid the pandemic, but addressed the fact that more staff are needed. "Hotel chains have really stepped up and have offered hundreds of places for the homeless," Mike explained. "The Intercontinental Group including Holiday Inn, have been great but we need more. Clean clothes for those who have been rehoused and mobile phones so we can keep in touch with."
Mike concluded: "We have got to ensure there is enough staff to scale up. We have to change the model away from day centres."
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