Policy brief – a roadmap to end homelessness amongst Veterans

Abstract: This study was developed by the Cobseo (the Confederation of Service Charities) Housing cluster, working with The Riverside Group Limited and the University of York, with funding from the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT). The study was commissioned following the establishment of the No Homeless Veterans Campaign, which was set up in 2019 by Stoll on behalf of Cobseo Housing Cluster, which worked with Homeless Link and the National Housing Federation to raise the profile of veterans amongst housing providers. The overall aim of the project was to create an integrated strategy or ‘No Homeless Veterans Roadmap,’ through original research and building upon current research to prescribe an action plan to address UK veterans’ homelessness. Whilst focused on the task of achieving the aim of No Homeless Veterans, this research study was concerned with how to achieve this throughout Service and onward civilian life. The report therefore considers the experiences of Service Personnel (SP), Service Leavers (SL) (at the point of discharge from Service) and veterans. Following governmental definitions, veterans are anyone who has served for at least one day in His Majesty’s Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve). The context for the project is a very stretched housing market across the UK, increasing the risk of housing exclusion and homelessness for all members of society. For veterans, arguably the gap between military and civilian life is getting wider - the impact of a widening inequality in society generally; increasing employment precarity; the cost of living crisis; and a lack of preparedness of some SL and the housing market crisis makes leaving Service increasingly uncertain. In addition, the project was undertaken at a time of change across transition policy for those preparing to, and leaving, Service. New services had recently been established, including the Defence Transition Service (MOD) taking on new responsibilities, and Op FORTITUDE providing short-term revenue funding and a centralised referral pathway for veteran supported accommodation. A number of governmental reviews of veteran policy were underway or recently published, including on welfare services. This period of change provides opportunities to reshape policy in this important area.