Veteran saved from homelessness in Barnsley wants more support for people like him

There are calls for South Yorkshire veterans to get more support when they leave the armed forces

Published 12th Aug 2016

A war veteran in Barnsley - who was almost left homeless - is calling for more support for those leaving the armed forces.

Craig Froggatt served in Afghanistan but struggled to find work and housing when he got back to the UK

He's now been homed in Barnsley by local charity Help 4 Homeless Veterans - but says there should be more support from the government to help people like him transition back into civilian life:

"To join civilian life was quite an impact - it was quite a change. To go to having no-one around me, nobody to talk to. I felt very much alone. I felt as if I'd lost my purpose."

"Once you've left the army, there isn't a lot of help - there is no priority for veterans - I think there should be a little bit more to help them have their own place, get into work and to be able to adjust to civilian life - to get used to the dramatic change of being in the army to being in civilian life."

It's as new figures from Help for Heroes show 80% of people think British soldiers should have more support when they return from active service.

Craig says he shouldn't have had to rely on a charity for the help he badly needed:

"They're these tough soldiers, they come out and they're just left to deal with it and it's very much a change so I think they go into to themselves. They don't talk to very many people - they want to get back on their feet on their own, they're used to doing everything on their own. I think there should be a bit more support to give them more information and maybe help them."

"They signed a contract, they did their job and then when they come out they're left to deal with it on their own so I think they should just have a bit more priority."

The government say they're committed to supporting those who serve - and have several programmes to help them transition back into civilian life.

The Military Covenant is a promise from the government to support veterans - which includes providing training, healthcare and job-finding preparation to help veterans transition into civilian life.