Veterans Housing Support

If you are homeless and you are a veteran, you should approach your local authority's housing department and declare your veteran status. Local authorities in England owe homeless people duties under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017:

• Prevention duty: If you are threatened with homelessness within 56 days, the authority must take reasonable steps to prevent it.
• Relief duty: If you are already homeless, the authority must take reasonable steps to secure accommodation for at least 6 months.
• Main housing duty (priority need): If you are homeless, in priority need, and not intentionally homeless, the authority must secure settled accommodation.

Veterans who have served for at least one day are generally considered to have a local connection with the authority in the area where they are seeking help — a rule that prevents veterans being bounced between areas. Declare your veteran status explicitly — some authorities have dedicated veteran housing officers.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a public commitment by the government to ensure veterans are not disadvantaged in accessing public services. The Armed Forces Act 2021 gave the Covenant statutory force, requiring specified public bodies (including local authorities, NHS bodies, and local housing authorities) to "have due regard" to Covenant principles when exercising specified functions.

In housing terms, this means local authorities should:

• Not disadvantage veterans in housing allocation relative to civilian applicants with similar needs.
• Consider a veteran's service and service-related needs (e.g., disability arising from injury, mental health needs) as relevant factors in housing need assessments.
• Ensure any local connections rule does not unfairly disadvantage veterans who have moved frequently due to service.

If you believe a local authority has failed to comply with its Covenant duty, you can complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Several charities provide specialist housing support for veterans:

• Stoll: Provides supported housing for vulnerable veterans, particularly those with mental health or substance misuse needs. Operates in London and South East England. stoll.org.uk
• SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association): Provides welfare support including housing advice and assistance with local authority applications. Caseworkers can assist with funding applications and navigating housing systems. ssafa.org.uk
• Royal British Legion (RBL): Provides welfare support and can assist with housing costs through the Poppy Appeal fund in urgent cases. britishlegion.org.uk
• Veterans Aid: Provides emergency practical assistance for veterans in crisis in London, including emergency accommodation.
• Haig Housing: Provides affordable rented and shared ownership homes for veterans and their families across the UK.

Service personnel and their families living in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) — Ministry of Defence housing — need to plan their transition to civilian housing carefully. Key points:

• Families typically have 93 days to vacate SFA after the service person leaves the Armed Forces.
• Apply to local authorities and housing associations as early as possible — before the 93-day period starts.
• Defence Transition Services (DTS) can assist with housing needs as part of the resettlement process — contact your unit welfare officer.
• If housing is not secured within 93 days, families may need temporary accommodation. Contact SSAFA or the RBL for support if housing is not secured within the transition period.