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Homelessness and Crisis Support for Veterans

Get Help Now
homeless veteran

You are not alone, and help is available today.

If you have nowhere safe to sleep tonight, or you’re about to lose your home, call Op FORTITUDE on 0800 952 0774. It’s free and you can refer yourself. If you are sleeping rough when you call, they will look for emergency accommodation for you.

Need help now?

Are you homeless or at risk?

Homelessness isn’t just sleeping on the street. You may count as homeless, or at risk, if you are:

  • sofa surfing or staying with friends because you have nowhere else
  • living in a car, hostel or B&B
  • about to leave Service Family Accommodation or single living accommodation with nowhere to go
  • facing eviction or have received a notice from your landlord
  • living somewhere unsafe, including because of abuse
  • behind on rent or mortgage payments and struggling to keep up

The earlier you ask for help, the more options you have. You don’t need to wait until you’ve lost your home.

The main route for veterans

Op FORTITUDE

Op FORTITUDE is the government-backed referral service for veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. One call puts you in touch with the people who can help, so you don’t have to work your way through multiple charities yourself.

It can:

- Find you a place in veteran-specific supported housing

- Help you stay in your current home if it’s at risk

- Arrange emergency accommodation if you’re sleeping rough when you call

- Refer you to other veteran charities for wider support

You can refer yourself, or anyone working with you (a charity, council, probation officer or friend) can refer you with your permission.

Call 0800 952 0774 or use the online referral form on the Riverside website.

Op FORTITUDE
homeless veteran

What your council has to do

Your local council has legal duties to help you if you’re homeless or at risk. In England, these come from the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, and former members of the Armed Forces are named as a group councils must support.

If you could become homeless within 56 days, the council must work with you to try to prevent it. This might mean negotiating with your landlord, helping with arrears or finding you somewhere else to live.

If you’re already homeless, the council must help you find somewhere to live. If it has reason to believe you may be in priority need, it must give you emergency (interim) accommodation while it looks into your case.

Priority need and service: you can be in priority need if you are vulnerable because of your time in the Armed Forces. The council will look at things like how long you served, your health and how long you’ve been out.

Local connection: time spent posted to an area can count towards a local connection. Councils also can’t stop serving or former Armed Forces members joining the housing register because of local connection rules.

When you approach the council:

  • ask to speak to the homelessness or housing options team
  • tell them you’re a veteran and ask if they have an Armed Forces Champion
  • bring proof of service if you have it (Veteran ID card or discharge papers), plus any ID and letters from your landlord or lender

If you’re in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, the rules are different but councils still have duties to help. Citizens Advice and Shelter can explain what applies where you live.

Still serving?

If you’re due to leave and don’t have a home lined up, start now. Speak to your unit welfare team and housing advice service before your discharge date. You can approach a council for help before you leave.

Free, confidential support from charities that understand service life.

Charities that can Help

Veterans Aid
A frontline charity for veterans in crisis or facing homelessness. It can act fast, including putting people in emergency accommodation so they don’t end up on the streets.
Call 0800 012 6867 or 020 7828 2468.

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity
Supports serving personnel, veterans and families across the UK. Forcesline offers confidential support and can point you to practical help. SSAFA sits outside the chain of command.
Call 0800 260 6767 (Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm, Friday 9am to 4pm) or use live chat on the SSAFA website.

Stoll
Provides supported housing for veterans who need help to live independently, including those with disabilities or other support needs. Sites are in London and Aldershot. Stoll also runs the Veterans’ Nomination Scheme, which helps support organisations find veterans affordable housing elsewhere in the country.
Call 020 7385 2110 or email applications@stoll.org.uk.

Haig Housing
Provides affordable rented homes for ex-service people and their families in housing need, with properties across the UK.
Call 020 8685 5777 and ask for Housing Options, or email housingoptions@haighousing.org.uk.

Shelter
Free, independent housing advice for anyone, including help challenging a council decision.

Free Helpline: 0808 800 4444

veteran family being helped

Partners and families

If your relationship has broken down and you’re leaving military housing, you can still get help. Haig Housing will consider former partners with dependent children, and councils must not leave estranged spouses and civil partners of service personnel at a disadvantage when they apply for social housing.

Frequently asked questions

I’ve been out of the forces for years. Can I still get help?
Yes. Op FORTITUDE, Veterans Aid and SSAFA support veterans whenever they served and however long ago they left.

I didn’t serve long. Do I count as a veteran?
Yes. In the UK, anyone who has served for at least one day in the Armed Forces, Regular or Reserve, is a veteran.

Do I need proof of service?
It helps, but don’t let it stop you calling. Charities and councils can help you get the paperwork you need.

What if the council says I’m not in priority need?
You can ask for a review of the decision. Shelter or Citizens Advice can help you challenge it.

Will asking for help affect my benefits or record?
No. Asking for housing help is your right, and charities like SSAFA are confidential and independent of the military.

If you’re struggling to cope or thinking about ending your life, call Samaritans on 116 123 or Combat Stress on 0800 138 1619, both free and open 24 hours. If you’re in immediate danger, call 999.