Campaign calls on councils to act on homeless veterans

New analysis of government data points to the potential for up to 3,500 homeless veterans each year losing out on the housing and enhanced support available to them.

The No Homeless Veterans campaign, backed by former army sergeant Dame Kelly Holmes, calls on councils to identify and support veterans in housing need and aims to reduce veterans’ homelessness to zero.

The campaign aims to reduce veterans’ homelessness as close to zero as possible, calling on councils, homelessness charities, and advice agencies such as Citizens Advice to identify former Servicemen and women and signpost them to the enhanced support services available to them.

Latest MHCLG data demonstrates that over the last year just 1,780 homeless veterans were identified by council housing services, out of 246,290 cases of homelessness recorded in the period –  0.72% of accepted cases.

Dame Kelly Holmes said: "I want to encourage others, and especially those on the frontline dealing with homelessness, to ‘Think Veteran’ and get ex-Service personnel in need of help to the support available to them,” she said.

Responding to the launch of the campaign Cllr David Renard, the Local Government Association’s housing spokesman, said:
 
“Armed Forces serving personnel, veterans and their families are valued members of our communities which is why all councils have signed the voluntary Armed Forces Covenant and work to provide a range of services to support them, including housing, money advice, employment support and health and wellbeing services.
 
“Councils are often the first port of call for veterans who have left active service and their families and are committed to trying to provide them with the support they need and deserve.
 
“With more than one million people on housing waiting lists, the Government needs to use the Queen’s Speech to give councils the powers and funding they need to get building the social housing the country desperately needs, accompanied with the right infrastructure.”