Prince William Visits Homeless Support Facility to Learn About Their Efforts During COVID-19

Georgia Slater
Updated ·4 min read

Prince William spent time at a drop-in homeless support facility this week to learn about the organization's efforts to support vulnerable people amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

On Thursday, the Duke of Cambridge visited the Garden House in Petersborough, where he spoke to both clients and representations of various service organizations about how the pandemic has taken a toll on the homeless community.

The royal, 38, heard from members of Peterborough's Safer Off the Streets partnership as well as past and present clients of Light Project Peterborough.

In photos from Prince William's outing, he is seen speaking with various representatives as he lends an ear to the organizations and shares his appreciation for their dedicated service.

As homelessness has become an even more prevalent issue during the pandemic, the partnerships have worked diligently to provide longterm housing for people as well as food, health and support services.

RELATED: Prince William and Kate Middleton Make Special Visit to Mark National Health Service's 72nd Birthday

Peterborough City Council vowed in March that over 130 homeless citizens would have accommodations in hotel rest centers across the city. The Garden House has remained open during the pandemic and has continued to play a major role in the homeless community in Peterborough.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

View this post on Instagram

The Duke of Cambridge visited a drop-in support facility for rough sleepers in Peterborough to see first-hand how a partnership of voluntary, faith, community and public service organisations have worked together during the pandemic to support those experiencing homelessness. The Duke heard from members of Peterborough’s ‘Safer off the Streets’ partnership - including representatives from housing associations - about this unique moment to help so many people move from temporary accommodation into longer term housing. During the visit, he also spoke to past and present clients of Light Project Peterborough – a local charity who provide shelter and support for the homeless – about their experience of COVID-19, and what their hopes for the future are. Throughout lockdown, The Duke has kept in contact with organisations working in the sector, including @passagecharity and @centrepointuk, to hear from clients about their experiences of isolation and to thank the charities’ frontline staff for their dedicated service. Photo credit Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@kensingtonroyal) on Jul 18, 2020 at 2:00pm PDT

Throughout the coronavirus crisis, William has kept in touch with various homelessness organizations, including The Passage and Centrepoint, to make sure the homeless community is receiving the help they need. The father of three continues to hear from clients about their experiences in isolation and expresses appreciation to the charities' staff for their service.

The royal's visit comes one day after he appeared in his first-ever webinar for a virtual meeting of the United for Wildlife Taskforces, an organization he spearheaded in 2014 to bring together those working to prevent species extinction.

RELATED: Prince William Takes Part in His First-Ever Webinar to Speak Out Against Illegal Wildlife Trade

William spoke about how the coronavirus crisis has impacted conservation efforts across the world and how the pandemic could increase the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has ruined lives and threatened livelihoods across the world," he said. "It is important that we learn the lessons from this pandemic, including looking at why the outbreak happened, why it was not stopped earlier, and what can be done to manage any outbreak in the future."

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.