Alabaré – A charity that is meeting the growing needs of homeless and vulnerable veterans
It is estimated that 19,000 Service personnel return to civilian life every year.
The Royal British Legion reports that each week in Bristol, at least six veterans are referred to them needing accommodation and support.
Regional charity, Alabaré Christian Care & Support is working in partnership with two of the biggest national Forces charities, amongst others, to deliver an innovative and progressive approach to supporting the specific needs of vulnerable veterans in the South and South West. And the charity continues to seek partnership-working opportunities with other organisations across all three of the Services.
Recent substantial grants from The Royal British Legion and ABF The Soldiers Charity have helped Alabaré expand their provision of veterans support to the major needs areas of Bristol and Weymouth. These projects add to the already successful work being carried out by the charity with veterans in Plymouth.
Alabaré’s Plymouth Home for Veterans opened in partnership with The Royal British Legion in February 2009. Within the first week of opening the house was full and to date has already supported 24 ex-Armed Forces personnel. The project addresses the needs of veterans who have struggled to adjust to the everyday challenges and responsibilities of civilian life, which are often accompanied by strong feelings of a loss of identity. Reports show it can be years before individuals seek help for their problems, and veterans can find themselves fighting to deal with issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, drug and alcohol addiction or offending, often stemming from the difficulties of adjusting to civilian life. Homelessness is a devastating but all too common outcome.
The charity offers a package of accommodation and support to help veterans access the specialist support they need to address their health issues, but also build skills for successful independent living, enabling individuals to leave the projects better equipped to deal with the responsibilities of everyday life. Each person residing at an Alabaré Home for Veterans is supported to learn skills around budgeting and maintaining a home, skills that they may never have needed in the Forces. They are also supported to address their health and welfare issues and rebuild their confidence, which is often lost by those who have hit rock bottom.
Support in Alabaré’s veterans’ projects is provided by staff with a specialist insight into the unique issues facing their residents; many are themselves ex-Service personnel. The charity’s experience of working with veterans has shown that they progress most significantly when surrounded by staff and other residents who have a shared understanding of military life.
The charity provides further support through the provision of accommodation with lower levels of support, acting as a stepping stone for those residents making the transition to independent living, and giving individuals time to adjust.
Alabaré’s will open Homes for Veterans in Bristol and Weymouth later this year. Beyond these two new projects, Alabaré’s programme for veterans is expanding rapidly to meet the growing need that is becoming ever more urgent. The charity aims to open up to 15 similar homes across the South and South West with Wiltshire and Hampshire earmarked as areas with identified, currently unmet, needs.
Further support
In addition to Alabaré’s homes for veterans, the charity offers support to veterans through many of its other projects and services:
Front line support: Alabaré runs two Drop In Centres in Wiltshire, the county holding the UK’s largest Military training area, Salisbury Plain. Open to all vulnerable adults, Veterans who are struggling are able to get hot food and drinks, clothes, and advice on housing and benefits. They can also access more structured support and accommodation through links with other Alabaré projects. So far this year, 20 veterans have accessed the services at our drop in centres.
Helping veterans keep their homes: Alabaré runs a number of Floating Support Services providing housing and tenancy related support to people in their own homes, enabling them to maintain their tenancies and avoid eviction.
Training: Alabaré runs a Home and Money Programme, which is a series of workshops covering a range of housing related topics such as benefits, form filling and budgeting, all skills that veterans may never have needed to develop whilst serving.
Visit: http://www.alabare.co.uk/
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