Homelessness among military veterans in England has risen by 14% in the last year despite a government pledge to ensure no former armed forces personnel are on the streets this Christmas, Ednews informs referring to The Guardian.
Last year UK ministers announced more than 8.8 million pounds to fund hundreds of supported housing places that had faced closure, marking the launch of a scheme called Operation Fortitude.
The scheme is supposed to enable veterans at risk of homelessness to access supported housing and wraparound specialist care in health, accommodation and education.
But 2,110 households with someone who served in the armed forces were assessed as homeless in 2022-23, according to figures from the Department of Housing, up from 1,850 last year.
Labor analysis of the figures shows that 500 veterans’ households are being made homeless every three months.
This year the veterans affairs minister, Johnny Mercer, said if former soldiers were still homeless by the end of 2023, he would “want to know why… [as] we’ve gone out, secured the money, designed the programs… I’ve worked hard on this”.
Cost of living pressures have reportedly affected serving military personnel and their families, who are turning to the estimated 2,500 food banks operating in the UK.