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21 Dec 22. New funding and support scheme to finally end armed forces veterans homelessness.
More than £8.5m of funding has been announced in order to ensure no veteran should sleep rough this Christmas, and veteran homelessness is ended in 2023.
- £8.55m funding announced for more than 900 veteran supported housing units with specialist help for former armed forces personnel.
- The funding for a bespoke homelessness pathway, called Op FORTITUDE – similar to Op COURAGE for Mental Health care, to ensure every veteran at risk of homelessness knows where to turn.
More than £8.5m of funding has been announced in order to ensure no veteran should sleep rough this Christmas, and veteran homelessness is ended in 2023.
The funding will deliver services in more than 900 housing units in England, where specialist help for veterans, including with health, education and employment needs are provided.
The new money announced today will also allow for the establishment of a new referral scheme – Op FORTITUDE, that will enable veterans at risk of homelessness to access supported housing and wrap-around specialist care in health, housing and education. Working with charities, the funding will ensure a single central point for local authorities and charities to identify those in need and refer them to a network of support.
Ahead of the funding, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer worked with the veteran housing charity sector, bringing them together to establish a temporary referral scheme in England and Scotland for the Christmas period, ensuring that no Veterans should be sleeping rough this Christmas.
Veterans can access the scheme through a dedicated charity helpline, on the number 01748 833797.
This temporary referral scheme should ensure that no veteran who seeks support is homeless at Christmas.
The Prime Minister will today host an event at No10 attended by charities Riverside and Stoll, along with veterans who were previously homeless. The Prime Minister will discuss with attendees the issue of veteran homelessness and how the government, including the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, can best ensure that everyone who needs support gets it.
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer and Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen will also attend.
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer said: “No one, not least those who have served this country, should be homeless. That’s why today we are committing £8.5m in funding and supporting a dedicated pathway, set up in collaboration with our charity partners, so veterans can not only get the housing support they need this Christmas, but also the vital backing required to help them get on their feet again. As a government we remain steadfastly committed to ending veteran homelessness in 2023.”
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, John Glen said: “It’s a sad fact that so many people who have served this country find themselves sleeping rough on the streets. Our mission is to put a stop to that, which is why we’re providing £8.5m in funding for over 900 housing units that support our veterans and creating a new service that will help those at risk of homeless access housing much more easily.
Today’s announcement should ensure that no veteran who seeks help will be on the streets this Christmas.
Lee Buss-Blair, the Director of Operations for The Riverside Group, and Member of the Veterans Advisory Board said: This funding will make a significant difference to the lives of vulnerable veterans. Not only will it support the Government’s commitment to end veteran rough sleeping, but it will also provide organisations the resources to support veterans into work.”
Veterans have so much to offer employers and communities, and thanks to this funding, providers will be far better placed to support them to realise their potential.
The funding will ensure the government’s pledge in the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-24 to end veteran rough sleeping within this Parliament, is delivered a year early.
Running for two years the funding provides help and support to some of the most vulnerable veterans in our society.
The vast majority of veterans go on to live happy, healthy and successful lives. But some do struggle and today’s announcement further demonstrates the government’s commitment to making this the best country in the world to be a veteran.
- The £8.55m committed today will provide funding for charity support services at over 900 housing units.
19 Dec 22. Record year for Armed Forces Covenant. The Armed Forces Covenant and Veterans Annual Report, published by the Government today and covering the period 2021-2022, details the key improvements and progress on the Covenant’s core goals.
The UK is one step closer to becoming the best place in the world for veterans, as a new report reveals more than 1,600 organisations have signed the Armed Forces Covenant this year.
The Armed Forces Covenant and Veterans Annual Report, published by the Government today and covering the period 2021-2022, details the key improvements and progress on the Covenant’s core goals. These goals include improving the lives of service people and their families, and the Government’s commitment to make the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran by 2028.
The Covenant is a pledge by those that sign to ensure that members of the Armed Forces community have the same access to government and commercial services and products as any other citizen; this year signatories include Leeds United F.C. and the Ocado Group.
This is the 11th Annual Report on the Armed Forces Covenant, since its introduction as a statutory requirement in the Armed Forces Act 2011, and is the second integrated report between the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) in the Cabinet Office. Since its inception the Covenant has gained nearly 10,000 signatures and to date every Local Authority in Great Britain has signed it.
Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families, Dr Andrew Murrison, said: “The Annual Report shows the Covenant continuing to go from strength to strength. Partners across the UK have been working hard to support those who currently serve, have served and their families. So it’s a big thank you to all those organisations who have worked tirelessly to use the Covenant and the nation’s commitment to veterans as a springboard to improve the lived experiences of our Armed Forces community.”
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer said: “The Armed Forces Covenant is a key way in which organisations from across society can support our veterans. We’ve seen good progress this year, in particular in the areas of healthcare, with the inclusion of veterans health in GP training.”
I look forward to building on these successes in 2023.
Highlights from this year’s report include:
- Armed Forces Covenant signings are rapidly approaching 10,000, with 1,634 signings over the last 12 months.
- A £5 m Veterans’ Health Innovation Fund has been launched. This will support organisations looking to research and trial cutting-edge technology which could help veterans with complex healthcare needs.
- The inclusion of veterans’ health in the GP training curriculum and national GP licensing assessment in England and Scotland.
- The Office for Veterans’ Affairs published the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-24, setting out over 60 commitments, with over £70 m of additional funding from across Government to further improve the lives of our veteran community.
- A further 528 GP surgeries have been accredited as ‘veteran-friendly’, taking the total to 1,578.
- The Government also fulfilled its 2019 manifesto commitment to ‘further incorporate the Armed Forces Covenant into law’.
Alongside this, the report celebrates the introduction of a new legal duty further reinforcing Defence’s unwavering commitment to its people. This duty places a legal obligation on specific public bodies to have due regard to the Covenant principles when delivering certain services, or deciding certain policies, in healthcare, education and housing, that could impact the Armed Forces Community.
The report also details how support has extended right across the UK with the first Veterans Commissioner for Wales being appointed, thus ensuring every nation has an independent voice-championing veteran.
(Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
19 Dec 22. Forces Help to Buy scheme made permanent to help Service Personnel purchase housing. The FHTB scheme encourages and supports Service Personnel to buy their own home, allowing them to borrow up to 50% of their gross annual salary.
- FHTB encourages and supports Service Personnel to buy their own home.
- Under Forces Help to Buy (FHTB), Service Personnel may borrow up to 50% of their gross annual salary (up to a maximum of £25,000).
- Since its launch as a pilot in 2014, FHTB has contributed to a 16% increase in home ownership amongst Service Personnel.
The Forces Help to Buy scheme has been made permeant by the Government today, as part of the enduring commitment to supporting our Armed Forces.
The scheme enables Serving Personnel to borrow up to 50% of their gross annual salary (up to a maximum of £25,000) to encourage and support home ownership and enable the option to Self-Build. This advance is interest free, repayable over a maximum of ten years and is open to most regular personnel with more than 12 months’ service.
As set out in the Defence Accommodation Strategy from October 2022, the Ministry of Defence has been committed to making the scheme an enduring offer to support forces personnel in their ambitions to become homeowners.
Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families, Dr Andrew Murrison, said: “I am delighted to announce that the Forces Help to Buy scheme has been made permeant. This recognises the unique challenges that Service Personnel, and their families face and gives the opportunity to purchase a property to provide stability during their service. The FHTB pilot initially began in 2014 and will become an enduring Ministry of Defence policy on 1 January 2023. It is expected that approximately 5,000 Serving personnel will use the scheme per year to help them with home ownership. As well as supporting Service Personnel and their families financially, the scheme strengthens the accommodation offer, improves geographic stability for families and helps to prepare Service Personnel for transition to civilian life.” (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
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SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, has been providing lifelong support to our Forces and their families since 1885. In 2020, our teams of volunteers and employees helped more than 79,000 people in need, the currently serving (both regulars and reserves), veterans from the Second World War and those who have served in more recent conflicts, as well as their families. SSAFA understands that behind every uniform is a person. And we are here for that person – any time they need us, in any way they need us, for as long as they need us.
https://www.ssafa.org.uk/about-us
https://www.ssafa.org.uk/support-us
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