The Duke of Kent has visited the St Mungo’s housing project on Grange Road, Bermondsey, to officially open the recently refurbished centre.
Prince Edward, 87, who is patron of the homelessness charity, was shown around the building before meeting with residents and workers.
Grange Road resident Darren, who met with The Duke during his visit, said: “I’d been on the streets for two years before coming here, I was offered a room by St Mungo’s during the recent cold weather.
“It was a blessing, it is so nice to have somewhere clean and safe to stay. I really like my room, it’s great to have my own personal space.
“It was nice to meet His Royal Highness, it’s a bit different for me to be chatting to a member of The Royal Family!”
Thanks to funding from St Mungo’s, the City of London Corporation and the Greater London Authority, the centre, which houses 29 people, will now be more comfortable for its residents.
The new facility includes a welcoming reception area, confidential meeting rooms, well-being areas, two gardens, 29 refurbished bed spaces and more.
Its design reflects the principles of Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE), and should aid service users’ recoveries from homelessness.
Emma Haddad, Chief Executive of St Mungo’s said: ‘’The transformation of Grange Road is an excellent example of what can be achieved by collaborative partnership working between St Mungo’s, the City of London Corporation and the Greater London Authority.
“At St Mungo’s it’s not just about getting people off the streets and into a bed, it’s also about providing an environment to recover. The last two years of hard work has resulted in this amazing flagship facility which will help support hundreds of clients for years to come.
“It was so wonderful that His Royal Highness was able to come and officially open the service and to spend some time with residents and staff.”