New centre to help "forgotten army of homeless war veterans"
A NEW centre will be developed this year to help some of the hundreds of homeless war veterans across the UK.Supported housing charity Norcare is working with The Royal British Legion to establish a facility for vulnerable veterans that will help them find homes and jobs.
The Norcare Veterans Centre will have on-site accommodation and a visitor centre where veterans can access activities including employment and training, welfare and debt advice, family liaison and counselling, health and well-being programmes and specialist help for issues such as trauma.
The centre is being set up to help the growing population of ex-servicemen and women that have fallen on hard times after leaving the Armed Forces following the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The true scale of the problem nationwide has yet to be fully assessed however, in a report commissioned by the Ex-Service Action Group, academics from York University calculated that 6% of the homeless population in London alone were veterans*.
Susan Bickerton, Norcare chief executive, said: “The public is aware of the on-going conflicts but society has forgotten the army of war veterans that have returned from combat, left the Forces and fallen on hard times. Hundreds if not thousands of war veterans have slipped through the support net and are extremely vulnerable. They are either homeless and living rough on the streets or are ‘sofa surfers’ – bedding down in the living rooms of friends and family as they have nowhere else to sleep.
“Working with The Royal British Legion, Norcare is piloting a centre that will re-create home life for ex-servicemen and women that have fallen on hard times while they are helped to find homes and employment. We need to rebuild their lives and help re-integrate them back into civilian life.”
The Norcare Veterans Centre, established at a cost of £700,000, will be located on Bentinck Road in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The centre will be up and running early next year. It will provide full-time accommodation for five people at any one time with an additional 35 veterans able to use the day centre on a daily basis. It is estimated that up to 70 people will pass through the centre each year.
Bill Midgley, chairman of Norcare said: “Quite rightly we are keen to praise the tremendous efforts of our troops when they are fighting overseas but all too often we forget the difficulties they face when they return home.
“The new Norcare centre will be the first of its kind outside of London and will provide the kind of guidance and support for veterans that Norcare already offers to a number of other vulnerable groups. Those who need it will be able to access the kind of help that will enable them move forward to lead happy independent lives.”
The Royal British Legion is contributing £232,000 over a two-year period for the operational costs of running the centre. Norcare is investing £200,000 in the project and the Futurebuilders England Fund has loaned Norcare £219,000 plus an additional grant of £47,000. Norcare will be linking with other organisations providing specialist care to veterans.
Sue Freeth, Director of Welfare at The Royal British Legion, said: “The Royal British Legion is experiencing an increased requirement to house and support homeless veterans and we look forward to working with Norcare in developing this much needed centre.”
*Source: The Experience of Homeless Ex-service personnel in London, The University of York, Centre for Housing Policy, 2008
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