One month in, the campaign is in talks with over 70 Local Authorities

By Ed Tytherleigh, Co-Chair of the Cobseo Housing Cluster and Chief Executive of Stoll

Since we launched our No Homeless Veterans campaign on 24th September, I am happy to say that the response from Local Authorities, housing and homelessness organisations and military charities has been overwhelmingly positive.  We are already beginning to make an impact where it matters – to the lives of veterans facing homelessness.

It’s only been a month, but we’ve had already representatives from over 70 Local Authorities reach out to us to find about more about the resources we can offer. Messages of support have poured in via the website and on social media from Ministers, leaders in the housing and veterans sectors and Top Brass within defence.  There is a clearly a will to do something and obvious concern for the welfare of the most vulnerable amongst our nation’s veterans.

As part of the campaign we are trying to meet as many Local Authority housing and homelessness teams, to brief frontline staff around their obligations and discuss how best they can support veterans in the local area. We have booked in nearly 40 of such briefings and hopefully there will be many more to come.  Visits are planned as far away as Barnet, the Isle of Wight, Manchester, Welwyn, Barnsley, Derby, Buckinghamshire and Dover – to name but a few!

We’ve also heard from some local councils who are already going above and beyond to prevent homelessness among veterans – which is always fantastic to hear. For example, some councils work closely with local charities and other organisations so that veterans in housing need are not just given a roof over their head, but continued support in other areas such as mental and physical health, employment and relationships. This maximises their chances for a long and stable tenancy, improving outcomes for everyone involved. Other Local Authorities are giving extra points to veterans in housing need or setting aside properties specifically for veterans. All these initiatives make a difference. You can find out more about the different solutions individuals, organisations and partnerships have put in place on our Housing Heroes page.

There is of course more work to be done. We want the resources and information of the No Homeless Veterans campaign to reach every single housing team in the country.  By working collaboratively and sharing experiences and best practice, we really do have a chance to reduce veterans’ homelessness to zero, and we hope yet more will continue to get on board the No Homeless Veterans campaign.

To get in contact, email info@nohomelessveteran.org.uk and we would be delighted to start the conversation.