PRESS RELEASE : Major new grants now available to fund specialist care for homeless veterans [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 21 April 2023.

Up to £8m of funding from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs is now available to tackle veterans’ homelessness head on.

• Up to £8m of funding from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs is now available to tackle veterans’ homelessness head on.
• Organisations are able to bid for up to £1.5 million, over 2 years, to provide wraparound support services for issues such as mental health.
• Funding will address the complex issues faced by some homeless veterans while making sure they have access to accommodation.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) is delighted to announce the launch of the Reducing Veteran Homelessness Programme, which will award major grants to help veterans experiencing homelessness.

Under this new programme, the Trust will award grants on behalf of the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) to projects that will provide specialist care in veterans’ accommodation.

The funding being announced today is expected to provide services for over 900 supported housing places across the UK, supporting veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Organisations are able to bid for up to £1.5 million, over 2 years, to fund wraparound support for issues such as mental health and employment.

By providing specialised support services, we can help address the complex issues faced by some veterans while making sure they have access to accommodation, and give them a greater chance of leading a stable, healthy life so that they don’t return to being homeless in future.

Who’s it for?

The Trust is encouraging charities, housing associations and registered social housing providers to apply for a 2-year grant. We will award a small number of significant grants under this programme. To be successful in your application, you’ll need to be able to clearly demonstrate:

• that you have considerable experience in providing support to veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness
• that your project is adaptable to the needs of veterans, including veterans with high, medium and low-level support needs
• that your project will deliver sustainable outcomes for the veterans accessing them, so that they don’t return to being homeless in future.

It is also vital that projects are collaborative – working with others to meet the needs of veterans. Finally, you will need to show how you would work with Op FORTITUDE – the Government’s new central referral pathway for homeless veterans and veterans at risk of homelessness.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Johnny Mercer, said:

No one, not least those who have served this country, should be homeless. That’s why we’re providing up to £8m to fund tailored support for our veterans in hundreds of housing places across the country.

Only by helping to address the complex issues faced by some veterans, can we end veterans’ homelessness.