Housing and homelessness support to the armed forces community
Guidance for organisations that provide housing or homelessness services to the armed forces community
Introduction
This addendum to “A home in civilian society - a guide for the armed forces community” is to provide support to local authorities, charities and other organisations who are engaged with providing housing or homelessness services to the armed forces community.
The armed forces community is defined in the Armed Forces Covenant (PDF, 919 KB)
Referral schemes and dedicated support services
There are a number of referral schemes and dedicated support for different elements of the armed forces community.
Organisations supporting veterans can engage with these options if they have the veteran’s permission to do so.
Op FORTITUDE
A government sponsored referral pathway for veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Op FORTITUDE is run by the Riverside Group and will support individual veterans into suitable accommodation or to maintain their current home. It can be accessed in the following ways:
Telephone: 0800 952 0774 (freephone in the UK)
MoD referral scheme
A scheme specifically to assist service leavers and those that have recently left service, providing information, guidance and support to explore housing options. The scheme is administered by Defence Transition Services and Veterans Welfare Service:
- Applications must be made within 6 months before or after discharge date
- Open to service leavers, their families and their separated partners
Veterans’ Nomination Scheme
A scheme specifically to assist veterans to obtain rented social housing. It is aimed at single veterans and couples without children who would not normally be able to get rented social housing, and for service leavers who are making the transition to civilian life
Ministry of Defence services
Veterans Welfare Service and the Defence Transition Services are Ministry of Defence services that provide a range of support to service leavers and veterans. The range of support offered includes:
- Housing, accommodation and relocation
- Mental health
- Physical health
- Drugs and alcohol misuse
- Training, education and employment
- Finance, debt and benefits
- Children, family and relationships
Veterans Welfare Service
Provides transitional advice and support to those with medical discharge, who have been a veteran for more than two years, who have an enduring welfare need or who need help to access benefits or compensation schemes.
Defence Transition Services
Provides information and support including housing support for those individuals and their families who have been veterans for less than two years.
Veterans Welfare Service and the Defence Transition Service can be accessed using the following:
- Freephone (UK only): 0808 1914 2 18
- Telephone (overseas): +44 1253 866 043
- Email: veterans-uk@mod.gov.uk
Homelessness
Local authority responsibilities
Under the Housing Act 1996 a local authority must help someone who is legally homeless or will become homeless within the next eight weeks.
Someone may be legally homeless if:
- They have no legal right to live in accommodation anywhere in the world
- They cannot get into their home, for example their landlord has locked them out
- It’s not reasonable for them to stay in their home, for example they are at risk of violence or abuse
- They are forced to live apart from their family or people they normally live with because there’s no suitable accommodation for them
- They are living in very poor conditions such as overcrowding
There are different types of support the local authority council could. For example, may offer advice, emergency housing, support to find longer-term housing or help to stay in an existing home.
The type of help a household can get depends on:
- their eligibility for assistance
- if they’re in priority need
- what caused them to become homeless
Eligibility for assistance
Households that live permanently in the UK, will usually be eligible for assistance. Households from abroad may not be eligible because of their immigration status. For more information, check Shelter’s guide on housing rights.
A person experiencing homelessness is owed the main housing duty if they are eligible, not homeless intentionally and have a priority need. This means the local authority must provide temporary accommodation for the household until settled accommodation be secured or the duty is ended for another reason.
Veterans
Priority need
A person has a priority need if they are vulnerable as a result of serving in HM regular Armed Forces.
It is for the local authority to decide whether the person is vulnerable for the purposes of a homeless application.
Local connection in homelessness applications
Armed forces personnel may establish a local connection in an area through residing there by choice, or being employed there, in the same way as a civilian.
More generally, an applicant does not need to have a local connection to make a homelessness application to a council. However, if the council decides the applicant is homeless and they do not have a local connection, the council they applied to can refer them to another council where they do have a connection.
Homelessness services to veterans
Local housing authorities have a duty to provide advice and information about homelessness and the prevention of homelessness free of charge to people in their district. The service must be designed to meet the needs of certain groups, which include veterans.
See chapter 24 of the - Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities (2018) for guidance on providing homelessness services to veterans.
Serving personnel
Housing advice
Chapter 24 the Homelessness Code of Guidance (2018) sets out that the principal responsibility for providing housing information and advice to service personnel lies with the armed forces up to the point of discharge. This is delivered by Defence Transition Services. Contact details are given above.
Homelessness
The Ministry of Defence is subject to the duty to refer in relation to members of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the regular army and the Royal Air Force. It must make a referral to a local authority if the person consents and they are either homeless or threatened with homelessness.
Local connection in homelessness applications
See chapter 10 of the the Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities (2018) for guidance on local connection in homelessness applications for serving personnel.
A local connection test is not required to make a homelessness application. A homeless veteran can therefore approach any council for support.