Thousands Of Veterans Left Homeless
At least 13,000 former armed services personnel are homeless after leaving the military – and many are also suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to an investigation by the Sunday People, military charities said the shameful figure is a record high and the Government is failing those who risk their lives for their country. They also issued a stark warning that the crisis deepens every month.
Cait Smith, 45, runs the Bolton Armed Forces Centre for Veterans, where she helps homeless ex-service personnel. She said: “Homelessness among the veterans community is getting worse by the month. The youngest we have dealt with is an 18-year-old and the oldest is 97. And we helped people of every age in between.”
Cait was diagnosed with PTSD 20 years after her entire command was wiped out in the 1994 Mull of Kintyre helicopter disaster. She added: “When I left the Army in 1997 I was a single mum. I had nowhere to live and a child to look after. I felt as though I had somehow failed. I was eventually given help and got my life back together. But I received no help from the armed forces. It was from charities and friends.”
Northern Ireland veteran Tony Hayes, 58, is now the chief executive of Veteran Assistance UK, a charity helping homeless ex-servicemen and women and those who are struggling with PTSD. He said: “Nearly all the homeless veterans we come across have PTSD or some form of mental health problem. Once they leave the Army, they lose their support structure. Those suffering from PTSD will often turn to drink and that can have an impact on the marriage and in a short period of time a veteran can find himself homeless.”
“We estimate 13,000 but we believe it’s an accurate figure from what our outreach teams are seeing. From our experience, the problem of homeless veterans has never been greater. I’d say 13,000 is a minimum – it could be far higher.” Charity bosses say the problem has been made worse by cuts to the armed forces, which has led to almost 30,000 troops losing their jobs since 2010.
Homeless numbers have soared, despite the Government outlining its duty to serving and former personnel by enshrining the Armed Forces Covenant in law in 2011. The covenant says veterans “should have priority status in applying for Government-sponsored affordable housing schemes, and service leavers should retain this status for a period of discharge”. And it adds: “Support should be available for all service personnel in order to assist their transition from service to civilian life.”
The Ministry of Defence responded: “We provide extensive help to veterans and their families, including funding the Veterans’ Gateway. The Government is spending more than £1billion to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping.”
Our lovely colleagues at Excel Housing Solutions have recently opened two services for veterans with support needs in Sefton. All properties are shared and fully furnished to a very high standard. They have also established working partnerships with Liverpool Veterans HQ, who do a fabulous job in supporting all veterans in the community. For more information, please click here.
If you are a veteran, or know of a veteran who needs accommodation with support, please contact Kristy at Excel on 0151 329 2772, option 1.
