Veterans Aid is to benefit from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s Life off the Streets programme.
The Mayor is investing an additional £20.2m into the programme as part of his continued efforts to help people sleeping rough in London rebuild their lives. Part of the £2.75m funding earmarked specifically to support pan-London Rough Sleeping Services will go towards funding Veterans Aid’s highly successful Welfare to Wellbeing© programme which has played a key role in giving homeless veterans an immediate route off the streets.
CEO Dr Hugh Milroy said: “We welcome the Mayor’s initiative and this ongoing practical support for Veterans Aid and its work. This includes the GLA’s significant financial contribution towards the refurbishment of our flagship residential facility New Belvedere House.
New Belvedere House – VA’s flagship residential facility.
Thankfully, through our prevention work in partnership with the GLA over the years, very few of London’s rough sleepers are genuine UK veterans but, for those who need support, our Welfare to Wellbeing© programme offers a proven and highly effective route back to sustainable independent living. Funding is critical if we are to intervene swiftly and prevent the threat of homelessness turning into harsh reality.”
More than three-quarters of the funding (£17.27m) will be used to deliver the Mayor’s No Second Night Out (NSNO) service from 1 April 2024 to 21 March 2027, with the possibility of extending the service for up to a further two years. The NSNO service, a key part of the Mayor’s Life off the Streets Programme, supports people who are seen sleeping rough for the first time. The service assesses each person’s individual situation and provides tailored support based on their unique circumstances and needs to deliver a sustainable route off the streets. In 2022-23 the service supported 1887 people, 87 per cent of whom did not return to sleeping rough. The remaining £2.75m funding will go towards other vital pan-London rough sleeping services, one of which is Veterans Aid . (Full details HERE.)
The Mayor’s increased investment into tackling rough sleeping comes as the latest Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) annual report reveals a 21 per cent rise in rough sleeping in the capital amidst the cost-of-living crisis. A total of 10,053 people were seen sleeping rough in London during 2022-23 – of which 64 per cent were reported to be new to the streets – up from 8,329 the previous year.
According to the CHAIN report, more than 20 per cent of people who slept rough for the first time in London had been evicted from their property, and almost two-thirds of people had been living in some form of long-term accommodation immediately prior to sleeping rough. The proportion of people sleeping rough who have no significant support needs has also increased substantially, with 28 per cent in 2022/23 having no reported support needs, compared to 20 per cent in 2018/19 – indicating many more people are sleeping rough for reasons relating to arrears and other financial problems.
The Mayor said: “The most recent figures for rough sleeping in London are deeply alarming. The cost-of-living crisis is putting more and more Londoners at risk of losing their homes and ending up with nowhere to go.
“That’s why I’m delivering an additional £20m in funding to expand my Life off the Streets Programme. From emergency accommodation, to outreach and training, this new funding will boost pan-London support services and help ensure that those sleeping rough can access the vital help they need quicker and leave the streets for good. It is one of my top priorities as Mayor is to end rough sleeping in the capital for good, and create a better, fairer London for all.”
Dr Milroy added: “Poverty is driving more and more veterans to seek help and while very few of those identified in the CHAIN Report have actually served in HM Armed Forces the number will increase if we don’t intervene swiftly – with practical help – when problems arise. “
