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Finding a home is a key step for Veterans entering civilian life, Veterans WORLD reports on initiatives to support them making this step...
COMBATING HOMELESSNESS AMONGST VETERANS
For the vast majority of veterans the transition from Service to civilian life is a smooth one, for some however the change can result in homelessness. The work to break this cycle amongst Veterans continues with the emphasis on partnerships and joined up working very much to the fore.
The Ex-Service Action Group (ESAG) is an umbrella
organisation that brings together members from a diverse area and includes
The Royal British Legion (TRBL), Ministry of Defence (MOD), and the Department
of Communities and Local Government. ESAG utilises the services of its membership to best
effect for the homeless Veteran. Chair of the group has recently been
taken over by Dr Hugh Milroy of the Ex-Service Fellowship (EFC).
The Fellowship is a hands on operation dealing with
homeless veterans direct from the streets to their hostel in the East End
of London. New Belvedere house is the only purely ex-Service Hostel in
London, providing 57 beds in comfortable surroundings. Recently
visited by the Prince of Wales, the hostel is the first step for many veterans
on their journey back to independent living. This can sometimes be a long
drawn-out affair and is often profoundly difficult for the individual.
The next step is employment. The key to any homeless veteran returning
to independent living is sustained employment. A regular income is
paramount to maintaining a tenancy and living normally again. This
is where Project Compass comes in. Established following a call to
action from HRH The Prince of Wales, the Project addresses the issue of ex-Service
homelessness and assists veterans in breaking the cycle of homelessness by
returning to sustained employment.
A pilot scheme, established
in London, engaged veterans and provided them with a co-ordinated programme
of personal development, employment training, job rehearsal and work placements.
The scheme was successful with 14 veterans assisted into full time employment,
with additional positive outcomes for many of the 93 homeless ex-Service
participants who went on to further training and education.
Following
the pilot scheme, the Project was established as a partnership between the
MOD, KPMG, Business Action on Homelessness and TRBL with the two-year
programme commencing in November 2004.
Building on success
Following a successful year, the project is set to further
expand its remit.
TRBL has now assumed responsibility for the Project,
with specific focus on helping ex-Service homeless and those vulnerable
to homelessness. The day-to- day delivery of the programme has been outsourced
to Training for Life (TFL), a specialist Service Provider, able to provide
a much broader spectrum of activity for the Project’s clients. TFL
assumed the delivery of the programme from 2 January 2007 and have already
enrolled 50 clients.
The
project training packages created for the individual by TFL are proving
extremely effective with clients having a feeling of being very much in
charge of their own destiny.
Once the
Compass training model is fully established, future plans are to roll it out
across the UK areas of need.
- COMBATING HOMELESSNESS
AMONGST VETERANS
- FORCES
HOUSING - THE KEY TO RAF VETERAN’S NEW HOME
- SUMMER WASN’T
A WASHOUT FOR VETERANS
Opens
in PDF format
- FOCUS ON ROYAL NAVY VETERANS
- CONNECT - SUPPORTING
VETERANS AND FAMILIES AFFECTED BY APHASIA
- LIVING
WITH DEAFBLINDNESS
Email enquiries on veterans issues to: veterans.help@spva.gsi.gov.uk
