The Prime Minister will write personally to councils in England on Armistice Day asking them to develop a specific plan to offer accommodation to any veterans sleeping rough ahead of the Christmas period.
No one who has served our country should sleep rough on our streets – Burnham
Prime Minister to write personally to councils in England asking them to draw up specific plans to offer accommodation to any veterans sleeping rough ahead of the Christmas period
PM says record funding linked to new drive against rough sleeping creates opportunity to prioritise giving every veteran specialist support to get off the street, consistent with commitments in the Armed Forces Covenant
PM urges any veterans who are sleeping on the streets, or those supporting them, to call the UK wide helpline on 0800 9520774 to receive immediate support
Commitment comes as government allocates nearly nine million pounds of funding to housing providers across the UK to provide targeted housing, employment and health support for veterans
The move is part of delivering the Prime Minister’s instruction on his first day in Downing Street to end rough sleeping in our country
The Prime Minister will say that, from now on, national government and local government should work together to the principle that no one who has served our country should ever be left to sleep on the streets.
The Prime Minister’s overall commitment to end rough sleeping is backed by investing an additional £874m to make an overall record of £4.4bn funding.
He will ask councils to use part of this funding to draw up a specific plan to tackle homelessness amongst the ex-forces community, working with local organisations and charities supporting them.
To supplement the work of councils, £8.7 million is being allocated to eight organisations across the United Kingdom, including in Scotland, Liverpool and Kent, as part of the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme. This funding will help local housing providers offer assistance to veterans with complex needs, including health, addiction and employment services.
Prime Minister Andy 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.
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.
Many councils are already doing a great job working with charities supporting the ex-forces community. With this new funding, they can take that to the next level and end the need for any veteran to sleep rough on any night.
This is what I meant when I spoke about putting the right standards back at the heart of the country when I walked up Downing Street for the first time.
To help deliver the new commitment, the Prime Minister is urging any veterans who are sleeping rough, or those supporting them, to call the UK-wide helpline on 0800 9520774. It will be able to connect them directly with housing and other specialist support.
The helpline has already supported more than 1,250 veterans into housing to date.
Notes to editors:
Organisations being allocated the £8.7 million of funding include: