Veterans Aid has been awarded an amazing £15,000 from the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. The money will be spent on helping Royal Air Force veterans who are at risk of homelessness or who are experiencing a crisis.
At Veterans Aid, we are entirely dedicated to preventing individuals from rough sleeping by addressing the causes of homelessness and the goal is to help veterans to achieve independent and fulfilling lives.
Veterans Aid has remained fully open operational throughout the pandemic, preventing homelessness, and securing those in urgent need with safe and decent housing.
One ex-serviceman, who has served in the Royal Air force for nine years, was referred to Veterans Aid. He was sober for eight months and ready to leave the rehabilitation centre when he found himself at risk of homelessness.
At Veterans Aid, we assessed his situation and a member of our Operational Team offered him food and a safe place in emergency accommodation.
He now lives in our residential facility, New Belvedere House, where is getting the support he needs. There, everything is geared toward independence. Looking to the future, he wants to move into his own flat and reunite with his children.
The RAF Benevolent Fund is a distinguished welfare charity that supports all serving and former members of the Royal Air Force as well as their partners and dependent children, through a range of services and projects. In 2020, they spent £26M supporting more than 63,700 members of the RAF Family.
Pete Ashcroft, Head of Community Welfare Programmes, said:
‘Partnership working is an essential part of the Fund’s support to the RAF Family, allowing us to get the expert help to the people who need it. The support Veterans Aid undertakes is vital, even more so following the challenging 18 months we have all lived through.‘
Dr Hugh Milroy, CEO of Veterans Aid, said:
‘As ever we are grateful to be receiving this vital funding from the RAF Benevolent Fund in support of ex-servicemen and women who have served in the Royal Air Force. This sort of funding really changes lives.‘
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Featured image: UK MOD © Crown Copyright 2021
