Collaboration and coordination are vital in bringing about change

By Tom McBarnet, Chief Executive of the Forces in Mind Trust, which funds the No Homeless Veterans campaign

Most people leaving the Armed Forces make a successful transition into civilian life and are able to establish a safe, secure home – an essential component in putting down roots and thriving in society.

However there are a minority who, for various reasons, experience homelessness. This can mean they are in unsuitable, temporary accommodation – hostels or sofa-surfing, for example – or are sleeping rough.

There are mechanisms in place to prevent this from happening and support is available for veterans in housing need, but there is evidence to suggest that these are not always leveraged as effectively as they could be.

Our vision

At Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT), we believe all ex-Service personnel should be able to access good quality, affordable, secure and sustainable accommodation. This means being able to live in a suitable home in a location of choice.

We believe more should be done to better meet the housing needs of veterans and their families so homelessness becomes a thing of the past. Working with others, we are using our evidence and knowledge base to ensure this happens.

This is why we have funded the No Homeless Veterans campaign, which is coordinated by the Cobseo (Confederation of Service Charities) Housing Cluster.

Bringing about change

Over the past year the campaign, delivered by Stoll, Homeless Link and the National Housing Federation, has produced new best practice guides and toolkits, and informed and educated local authorities, housing associations and other charitable providers across the country. This work, at the frontline, is essential.

So too are the very welcome developments at policy level. A year ago the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan was launched, outlining government plans to tackle veterans’ homelessness. That was followed in November by the publication of Statutory Guidance on the Armed Forces Covenant Duty – and we were pleased that the No Homeless Veterans campaign was included as an example of good practice and a valuable resource.

And in December, the government announced new funding of £8.5m over two years, to end homelessness among Armed Forces veterans. This money will help frontline charities deliver specialist support in over 900 housing units, and will fund a referral scheme to help veterans at risk of homelessness access housing services quickly and easily. The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs has further pledged an end to veterans’ homelessness by the end of this year.

The No Homeless Veterans campaign has played an important role in these developments.

Our wider work

Alongside the campaign, FiMT is also funding a research study which will result in a roadmap to end homelessness among veterans. The project, run by housing provider Riverside and the University of York’s Centre for Housing Policy, will explore the provision and effectiveness of information and advice currently available to the Armed Forces community, and create an action plan to address the avoidance of veterans’ homelessness.

The study will outline how serving personnel can be better prepared for the transition to civilian life before they leave the Forces, and identify the interventions that are necessary to achieve this.

The roadmap will be an important additional tool in ensuring that those who have served our country have access to the right support at the right time, and that appropriate housing is achievable for all veterans.

Working together

When this current phase of the No Homeless Veterans campaign was launched at the House of Lords in May 2022, charities supporting ex-Service personnel were reporting a steep rise in the number of homeless veterans seeking their help, because of the impact of the pandemic and the rising cost of living. Many were also seeing a growing number of people with mental health issues, particularly PTSD and depression.

More recently, we have seen reports of rising numbers of rough sleepers and people stuck in temporary accommodation. It is highly likely that veterans are among this population.

The No Homeless Veterans campaign has been calling for a more coordinated approach between local authorities, housing providers, homelessness charities and veterans’ organisations in order to tackle the issue. It is clear that this is as vital now as it was a year ago.

It is our mission at FiMT to identify the barriers to successful transition, find out what works to address these barriers, and use this evidence to bring about change that has a lasting impact on the ground.

We can only achieve this through collaboration and through partnerships with others. As such, we hope that the many policy-makers, councils, housing providers and charities which have so far engaged with the No Homeless Veterans campaign will build on the activity we have funded and will continue to work together to end homelessness among veterans for good.

About Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT):

Forces in Mind Trust was founded in 2011 with a £35 million endowment from the National Lottery Community Fund to improve transition to civilian life for Service leavers and their families. FiMT’s mission is to enable successful and sustainable transition to civilian life, and the Trust’s strategy is to provide an evidence base that will influence and underpin effective policy making and practice. By funding high quality, credible research where there is an identified gap in relevant understanding, and by then exploiting the findings, FiMT aims to effect positive change.