The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has teamed up with the charity Veterans Aid to support a key project offering a route off the street for every UK veteran who is homeless or facing homelessness in the capital.
In London, the Mayor’s data (CHAIN) revealed that last year over 8,000 people were seen sleeping rough, of which 132 had served in the UK armed forces. A key service to help those ex-servicemen and women is Veterans Aid’s award-winning ‘Welfare to Wellbeing’ project, which has been in operation since 2003 and last year helped 411 veterans who were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Despite its success, pressure on the charity’s finances meant it risked being unable to help all those in need. The Mayor has therefore decided to step in and provide £182,824 funding, which will be match-funded by Veterans Aid and is expected to help more than 300 veterans over a three-year period from January 2018.
