The number of veterans who are not being classed as homeless in official figures could be as high as 3,500 people, claims a new campaign to ensure ex-servicemen and women don’t slip through the net.
The No Homeless Veterans campaign kicked off today asking local authorities, advice agencies and homelessness charities to join forces to ensure that former forces personnel are aware of the enhanced support and housing available to them.
It comes as analysis of official homelessness statistics revealed that 1,780 homeless veterans were identified by local authority housing services, making up just 0.72 per cent of accepted cases. With previous studies suggesting up to three per cent of rough sleepers in England are ex-services, experts reckon that more than 3,500 people are not accounted for in the figures.
That is why Stoll, the leading provider of supported housing to vulnerable and disabled veterans, and Cobseo (Confederation of Service Charities) Housing Cluster and Forces in Mind Trust have launched the campaign to reduce the chances of veterans missing out on housing.
A new survey released today found that 80 per cent of the British public agree more needs to be done to identify and support veterans at risk of homelessness and 95 per cent identified stable housing as important in helping veterans adjust to civilian life.