Improved veteran support welcomed by Wiltshire charity
Government is pledging £50million for a network of support centres for former Armed Forces people
A Wiltshire charity supporting homeless veterans says it feels the Government is serious about giving ex-service personnel the help they need.
It follows the publication of Veterans Strategy, in which the Government pledges £50 million in creating a network of support centres.
Salisbury-based Alabaré has been calling for the strategy to be published for some time, amid significant rises of over 122% in Veterans in need being referred.
The organisation's Head of Veterans Services, Gary Chapman said those figures underscore the scale of need across the South West.
"Clearly there's a call for our services to be there," he said. "The referrals we're getting through are from guys that didn't do that long to guys that served quite a bit. For whatever reason, those referrals are getting greater and so is the need."
As a veteran himself, Gary said he understands the frustrations from some veterans, saying the injection of support from No. 10 could help Alabaré continue and improve its service.
The Government has yet to disclose how the funds will be distributed, but the charity says it's ready to work alongside UK leaders to deliver the best possible outcome for veterans.
The organisation runs a number of programmes to support veterans, not only with finding accommodation, but to enrich their lives and boost their confidence, as well as giving them practical skills to take into the workplace with the Homes for Veterans programme, where veterans learn skills whilst building homes they will live in.
In addition to the support centres, a further £12 million is being committed to extending Op FORTITUDE, a programme designed to reduce veterans’ homelessness.