Wigan Council pledges to help homeless veterans

Charities warn that thousands of homeless veterans may be slipping through the net nationally and are being under-reported every year.

Housing laws state that local authorities must give preference to homeless applicants, with extra weight added to an application if they have served their country.

In 2018-19, there were 40 households in Wigan where current or former military personnel received this extra priority, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government data reveals.

The chief executive of the UK’s largest military housing charity has called on councils to honour a commitment to look after homeless veterans, with fewer than 1,000 receiving preference last year.

The figures for the three months to March last year also show 450 people who have served in the armed forces were identified as statutorily homeless by local authority housing services across England.

However, Wigan housing services only identified two veterans at risk of homelessness during the first three months of 2019.

It is not possible to calculate an annual total of the number of homeless veterans identified, as some could appear in the figures in more than one period throughout the year.

Those identified by councils were all assessed as needing a “prevention or relief duty”, meaning they are owed legal duties by councils because they are already homeless or could be within 56 days.

The No Homeless Veterans campaign says the number should be even higher and that more than 3,000 homeless veterans could be going unreported each year.

Campaign co-ordinator Ed Tytherleigh said “many end up sleeping in their car or on someone’s floor”.

Under the Housing Act 1996, “reasonable preference” should be given to housing applicants who are homeless or in dire need of housing, and further help should be offered to armed forces personnel.

Councils’ commitment to veterans was stated in the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC), to which “virtually all” local authorities in England have signed up.

Brigadier James Richardson said the “nuts and bolts” of the agreement had not filtered down to how councils apply it.

He added: “We want local authorities to have a better understanding of the AFC so that all staff know what it is and what their responsibilities are.

“A lot of local authorities don’t even ask if someone is a veteran. Therefore it’s very hard to deliver the AFC requirements when they don’t even ask the basic questions.”

A Government spokesman said a significant number of councils do not own Housing Revenue Account (HRA) stock, meaning they are not required to report it, or related figures such as lettings.

They said: “No-one should be homeless, least of all someone who has served their country.

“This is why we’ve put in place an additional £1m fund to boost support for vulnerable veterans who are, or at risk of becoming, homeless.”

Coun Clive Morgan, lead member for Armed Forces and veterans, said: “Wigan Council’s work with veterans and serving Armed Forces members has always been a top priority and we are working across the borough to support them.

“Our commitment to our Armed Forces community has never been in question and ensuring homes that are fit for purpose for our veterans is of the upmost importance. We will also be working with private house owners to support veterans into quality housing.

“Support for veterans does not stop at housing, in 2018, Wigan Council opened a ground-breaking hub providing specialised support for the armed forces community, including ex-forces and their families.

“It provides a range of tailored services for veterans, serving personnel, reservists and their families and was delivered as part of Wigan Council’s commitment to the armed forces covenant. Since opening in November 2018, it has supported more than 400 members of the armed forces community to date. Through signing the Armed Forces covenant, the council has committed to supporting veterans now and for many years to come.”