Ex-service personnel still struggling to access housing

Former members of the Armed Forces are still struggling to access housing support, despite improvements made in recent years, according to a new report.

The report by the University of Stirling and funded by Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT), found that while there has been progress over the last decade, more needs to be done to ensure they are able to access the help that is available.

According to the report, the barriers include the complexity of the housing and benefits systems, which service leavers with little experience of civilian life can struggle with, and debt causing issues with financial assessments for rental housing for those who have not saved for post-service life.

Some groups were identified in the report as being likely to face additional persistent barriers, such as early service leavers.

Particular challenges were also highlighted for non-UK service leavers, who must wait for immigration status to be settled before housing applications can be submitted.

However, the Armed Forces Covenant was found to have had a positive impact, with organisations working more effectively at a local level due to the implementation of Armed Forces Champions, covenant groups and dedicated council posts.

Recommendations in the report focus on continuing improvements to support transition to civilian life which have been seen in recent years, tackling the persistent barriers identified for groups such as early service leavers and non-UK service leavers, and maintaining progress in collaboration between local, national and charitable organisations which support ex-Service personnel.

The researchers also found that the benefits from increased collaborative working could be lost as public attention moves away from the Armed Forces Covenant, and continual attention is required at a local and national level to ensure the innovations of the past decade continue.

‘Housing is one of the most important factors for a service leaver and their family, yet over half leave without their housing needs being “sorted”,’ said FiMT chief executive, Ray Lock CBE.

‘This report is encouraging, demonstrating that the Armed Forces Covenant is having an impact and improvements are being seen. However, persistent issues still exist, particularly for the more vulnerable groups identified by the researchers, and these must now be addressed,’ added Mr Lock.

‘Collaboration between organisations supporting service leavers must continue to improve, along with better education of service leavers about civilian life. And now we know who those most likely to face challenges are, we can identify them early, and take preventative action.’

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