Burnham to ask English councils for plans to house veterans sleeping rough
Prime Minister Andy Burnham will write to councils across England on Armistice Day, asking them to draw up specific plans to offer accommodation to veterans sleeping rough before Christmas.
The request makes veterans a priority within the government’s wider commitment to end rough sleeping. Councils will be asked to work with local organisations and charities supporting former service personnel, using part of the funding allocated to that broader effort.
The government says an additional £874 million takes overall funding to a record £4.4 billion. Burnham will ask national and local government to adopt the principle that nobody who has served in the armed forces should be left sleeping on the streets, in line with commitments under the Armed Forces Covenant.
Separately, £8.7 million is being allocated to eight organisations across the UK through the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme. The money will help housing providers support veterans with complex needs, including through health, addiction and employment services. Recipients include organisations working in Scotland, Liverpool and Kent.
Burnham said: “No one who has served our country should be left to sleep rough on our streets. It is a simple principle and, from now on, I am setting it as an operating principle for the whole of government, national and local.”
He added: “People who stepped forward prepared to put their lives on the line for the rest of us should never lack a roof over their head. When they need help, the country owes them more than warm words. It owes them a bed every night, a proper plan and someone in their corner from day one.”
Burnham said many councils were already working effectively with charities supporting the ex-forces community, and argued that the new funding would allow them to go further. The initiative forms part of his instruction on his first day in Downing Street to end rough sleeping.
Veterans sleeping rough, and people supporting them, are being urged to call the UK-wide helpline on 0800 9520774 for immediate support. The service connects callers with housing and specialist assistance and has already helped more than 1,250 veterans into housing.
The eight recipients of the £8.7 million allocation are Veteran Housing Scotland; Launchpad; Alabare; The Riverside Group; Wigan Council; RBVE; SSAFA, The Armed Forces Charity; and Tom Harrison House.