Prince William Continues Youth Homelessness Mission: 'He Wants to Hear People's Stories' (Exclusive)

The Prince of Wales opened a facility run by Centrepoint, one of his first patronages — and CEO Seyi Obakin tells PEOPLE, "I couldn't get him way from the young people!"

Prince William is taking his mission for the homeless to another level.

This year, the Prince of Wales will unveil a new initiative in his longstanding commitment to beating the challenges caused by homelessness. And on Tuesday, he visited a favorite charity, Centrepoint, where he opened new housing for young people.

Prince William, 40, was at Reuben House, a new development that forms a key part of Centrepoint’s Independent Living Programme to combat youth homelessness.

The 33 new flats in Peckham, south London, will allow young adults between 18 and 24 to live in affordable housing with rent capped at a third of the residents' take-home pay. Each person has to have a job or be in a full-time apprenticeship. During his time there on Tuesday morning, William met some of those who had brought the project together and some of the residents who have moved into the homes.

Centrepoint's CEO Seyi Obakin tells PEOPLE exclusively after Prince William's visit, "This is not just about the opening of this building but beginning to tell the story of how a scheme like this should be part of the tapestry for ending homelessness for young people.”

He says William "was on good form and loved the flats. I couldn't get him away from the young people. I knew we were running out of time, and every time I said to him, ‘I think it’s time to go,' he starts a different conversation!"

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"He wants to hear people's stories, and he wants to find out how he can help and how much more he can do — and he doesn’t like an event like this rushed at all," adds Obakin.

While Obakin says it would be "inhuman" not to be a little nervous around the Prince of Wales, he has a way of relaxing the people he meets.

"The great thing about Prince William is he's really good at putting people at ease," Obakin says. "I didn’t see any young person today who was shellshocked. They might have been nervous, but once he started talking to them in the way that he does, they just came out of their shell."

The Centrepoint CEO adds, "It’s an incredible gift that he has to connect with people in that way. Not everyone can do that."

Sally Orlopp, Director of Independent Living, echoes Obakin's comments: "His passion is young people, and he's interested in their stories. Every story is different. These are people who’ve had their Centrepoint journey — people come to us with chaotic lives."

Prince William "is really natural and supportive and gets what independent living is," she adds.

The charity — which William teamed up with in 2005 at the beginning of his public life post-university — estimates that about 15,000 16- to 24-year-old young adults in London faced homelessness last year with 129,000 across the U.K.

Orlopp tells PEOPLE their program provides a "bridge" as well as "community."

"Most of our young people here wouldn't still be in work if they hadn't got here to come to," she explains. "An apprenticeship salary on £12,000 a year, you couldn’t afford £1,500 a month rent. This way, they know what they’re paying, and they know what they have left. It gives them security."

Resident Juwon Davies, 21, has been living there since March. Davies is doing a degree apprenticeship, but she was given a two-month notice to leave her home when she couldn't afford a steep £500 rise in rent. Her local council couldn’t help and recommended the private sector, which was prohibitively expensive. Her workplace got in touch with Centrepoint, which started her on her path to the new apartments.

She says it is worse for young people coming into London who find they are not supported by local authorities.

Davies said of Prince William, "He is a genuine lad. He’s a proper man. He really wants to understand your situation. It didn’t just feel like he was speaking just because he was here. He was very understanding — in terms of the struggles of being young and trying to live an independent life."

“I told him, 'You have to grow up quickly.' He said it was 'upsetting that you feel you have to grow up quickly — that should not be the case. You should still be living your young life.' That is true, but this is the circumstances that comes with being young and living in London," she adds.

“He wants to see where he can make amendments, make a difference. He was also asking what would help. I could see him trying to understand so he can take it away and amplify it some way or some how. I told him a bit about me and the council situation so hopefully he gets to talk to people a little bit more and tell them there are young people who are struggling and we need to start making a difference now," Davies continues. "He’s a great man.”

The Prince of Wales was inspired to help the homeless by his late mother, Princess Diana, who took him and his brother Prince Harry to homeless shelters to learn more about the issue. William is now patron of two charities, The Passage and Centrepoint (the latter of which, he followed his late mother Princess Diana in supporting).

Says Obakin, "He went to The Passage as a young boy. When you've spent so much of your life around that issue, it’s hardly surprising that he thinks, 'Actually, is there more that I can do? If there is anything more that I could do, then I really should do it.' That’s roughly where he is at. What can I do with the opportunity that I have to make this issue better for people at the receiving end. If I make it better only by a bit, that’s fine because that 'bit' will affect a lot of people.”

In February, William signaled his ongoing backing of those without a home, when he went to The Passage in London to open two new residential buildings. He also spent some time in January at another organization, Depaul, that works in local communities across the U.K. to prevent and relieve the impact of homelessness on people's lives.

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Later in the summer, the Prince of Wales is set to introduce his new initiative in the area. And when William recently met with the leader of the opposition Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, it is thought to be one of the areas he discussed with the senior politician.

Obakin says he can't speak for Prince William, but adds of the mission: "I can’t imagine he’ll stray into politics. It this is a human issue, and here is a way in which we can let politics get in the way of tackling a human problem. Even avoiding politics, here's a space in which he can animate partnerships, convene people and make things happen. And make a difference for the people affected — and all the power to him for doing that."

On his 40^th birthday last year, William took part in an interview for The Big Issue, which supports homeless people, and even sold copies on the streets of London.

In 2009, the prince slept out on the streets of London as part of his awareness-raising campaigning and to deepen his own understanding of the challenges the young homeless face.

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