Heroes without a home

It is thought that upwards of 9,000 homeless in the UK are ex-Armed Forces, with over 1,000 in London alone. These are people who made personal sacrifices to put on a uniform and serve their country, a country which has now abandoned them. There are a whole host of reasons why a service person can become homeless, the stresses of military life leave a palpable mark on anyone but more usual concerns such as a marriage break-up also play their part. What makes this so significant however is that soldiers, sailors and airmen are taught from the first day of selection to work as a team and to rely on the man or woman next to them for help. The Military has a system of support for almost any conceivable issue, and attempts to ensure a retiring soldier is prepared for civilian life. But take that network away when someone leaves the service and homelessness can be the result. Forces Reunited wants to put a stop to this and provide a support network that retiring service personnel can rely on, built by us and supported by ex-armed forces veterans. We aim to find UK landlords that would be willing to provide a home for a homeless Armed Forces veteran for up to three months, rent free. This will provide the energy to get the ball rolling. With an address, the veteran can get back on their feet and back on their way to stability. If you are a landlord willing to provide a property to a Veteran, or you know of a homeless veteran in your area please contact us: homeless-heroes@forcesreunited.org.uk