The Dispossessed: Prince William and Londoners unite to fight poverty

They called for a fresh look at the deprivation in our city following the Standard's reports on The Dispossessed. William, patron of Centrepoint, the leading charity for homeless young people, said it was up to all of us to answer the challenge.

Boris Johnson spoke of the "heart-rending reports of the Evening Standard" and called on Londoners to volunteer their help. There was an unprecedented outpouring of support from the public for those whose plight we are highlighting all this week. From the Square Mile, investor and homeless campaigner John Studzinski said: "Saving the world starts in London by saving the people on your doorstep.

"These people are often faceless and go ignored by politicians because they don't vote and don't sway elections. We all need to play our part to beat this problem." Chancellor Alistair Darling said the Government had made progress on helping people on low incomes and into work but admitted: "There is a long, long way to go." He added: "In a capital city like ours, poverty should have no place. It is a reason to press on, not to give up." In a speech at the Mansion House tonight to mark the centenary of the London Voluntary Service Council, the Mayor was calling on London's wealthiest to help with their time and money.

He said: "When we look at the figures on poverty, when we study the heart-rending reports of the Evening Standard, there is one overwhelming message from the failures of the last 20 years.

"The welfare system is an essential part of a civilised society. The state must be strong. The state must be active. But the state on its own cannot cope. It is time for a new age of voluntarism and volunteering. It is time for the rich to show their sense of duty to wider society."

Kay Boycott, Shelter's director of policy, said: "We warmly welcome the campaign. If political parties are serious about tackling it, then addressing the housing crisis must be their first priority."

Leslie Morphy, chief executive of homeless charity Crisis, urged: "It is time we invested in solutions providing skills, employment and the right support rather than spending money on picking up the pieces of social failure." Charles Fraser, chief executive of London's largest homeless charity St Mungo's, said: "It is truly shocking that people are still rough sleeping in our capital city in this day and age, especially when they are in poor mental and physical health. The Standard is to be applauded in highlighting the problems faced by the dispossessed in London."

Fergus Drake of Save the Children UK said raising the issue was of "crucial importance", adding: "We are outraged that one in five children in London still live in severe poverty, often going without hot meals, the clothes they need or without proper heating at home.

"We are losing hundreds of thousands of children to poverty, which is killing their childhoods."

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said: "In this election year, the onus is on politicians especially to be up front about how they would help the least well off."

The Standard's campaign comes as three in four London charities fear they will not be able to meet increases in demand.

More than 68 per cent — around 40,000 voluntary groups — said their workload had increased as a direct result of the recession. A survey found almost all the charities believed the financial crisis had affected the communities they worked at the same time as they face a fall in funding.

In response to the Standard's poverty report, Prince William makes an impassioned appeal for help

I consider the Evening Standard's exposure of hidden poverty a call to arms for us all. This is a great city. However, the plight of the dispossessed in its many forms tarnishes it. For all the achievement of Londoners and the wonderful things that this city stands for, poverty, homelessness, lack of advantage for dispossessed young people continue to challenge us all. It is up to us, not just politicians and charities, to answer this challenge — wherever, whenever and in whatever way, small or large, we feel we can.

I realise that I am very fortunate. But through my involvement with Centrepoint, and talking with the disadvantaged young people it looks after, I feel I have an understanding of some of the issues surrounding homelessness, one of the many manifestations of poverty in this capital city. To spend night after night on the streets of London, in fair weather and foul, not knowing how to break out of a downward spiral of despair, would challenge the strongest amongst us.

Whether it is street sleeping, overcrowded housing, or spending your life in temporary accommodation, this spiral need not be unbreakable. It may just be about giving people the opportunity to help themselves.

What they said about our campaign

Alistair Darling
Chancellor of the Exchequer

"Yes, we have made progress but there is a long, long way to go. Poverty makes us all poorer in every sense.

"In a capital city like ours, we have a lot of wealth and poverty should have no place in it.

"But it is not something you can fix and then walk away from. It has to be addressed at every level."

Terry Wogan
Radio 2 presenter and Children in Need host

"It's impossible not to be moved by your campaign for the dispossessed children of London, still "betrayed", as you drew attention to their plight 15 years ago. A continuing indictment of a society that allows such poverty to exist in the midst of such wealth. With the general election coming up, let's hope that the campaign will inspire the political parties to take notice, and action, at last."

Boris Johnson
Mayor of London
"When we look at the figures on poverty, when we study the heart-rending reports of the Evening Standard, there is one overwhelming message from the failures of the last 20 years.

"The welfare system is an essential part of a civilised society. The state must be strong. The state must be active. But the state on its own cannot cope. It is time for a new age of voluntarism and volunteering. It is time for the rich to show their sense of duty to wider society.

"With council budgets under pressure as never before, it is time we made it easier to do good — and it is time as a culture we understood that we are all in this together."

Joanna Trollope
Novelist

"Shock can paralyse us. Individual shock, that is. Last night, I sat staring at the Standard's piece on paupers' graves and felt simply immobilized by horror and pity and shame.

"But collectively, shock can galvanise and energise us to feel revolted that this great city offers so much to the extravagantly rich, while turning a blind eye to the grim struggles of the extravagantly poor.

"Very few people are hard-hearted about the plight of the poor — I'm sure of that. They may be ignorant, or fearful, but they aren't callous. But they are uncertain of what to do, and afraid of what they might learn, and how they might be received. So, could we start, possibly, by helping the helpers?"

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