24.09.19
LGA responds to launch of No Homeless Veterans Campaign
Today saw the launch of the No Homeless Veterans Campaign, coordinated by Stoll, calling on local authorities to identify and support servicemen and women and their housing needs.
The latest Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) homelessness data reveals that in last year alone only 1,780 homeless veterans were identified by local authority housing services, out of 246,290 cases of ex-service homelessness recorded in the period.
The campaign is funded by the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT), a £35m funding scheme run by FiMT, using a grant awarded by The National Lottery Community Fund. The campaign has the backing of Dame Kelly Holmes who enforces the idea that ‘no veteran should be homeless’.
The Local Government Association (LGA) has responded to the launch today as housing spokesman, councillor David Renard, 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.
“[We] 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.
Through the Queen’s speech, the LGA wants to ensure that local councils have the power to do the right thing by veterans.
“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.”