£20,000 for Royal British Legion's help with homelessness

The announcement coincides with Armed Forces Day today.

During the pandemic, the Royal British Legion has been working alongside local authorities to bring veterans rough sleeping off the streets and into emergency accommodation.

But they are expected a significant increase in demand for its crisis support services as Covid-19 support packages, including rent and mortgage relief agreements come to an end.

The £20,000 grant will support veterans, with up to £750 each, to pay for vital items such as a deposit for accommodation or first month's rent, travel passes to find work or basic furnishings.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: “It is terrible to think that those who have given so much to our country can end up homeless. This partnership with the Royal British Legion and the grant from the WMCA will go some way to building on the work we have started already on preventing and designing out veterans’ homelessness.

“The work we will do together will help some of the region’s most vulnerable people get back on their feet, into safe accommodation and employment.”

Jane Britton, area manager for the Royal British Legion in the West Midlands added: “This fund will enable us to react quickly and provide support where it is most needed in these extraordinary times. People who never imagined they would need support from the Legion are turning to us for help, often in desperate circumstances and unable to meet their most basic daily living expenses.

“The men and women of the armed forces play an extraordinary role in guarding our freedoms, through protecting our country as well as through peacekeeping, conservation and humanitarian work. The nature of their work can bring challenges for both serving and ex-serving personnel and their families, who we also support. Tragically, for some daily life becomes an impossible struggle.”1