Lee Buss-Blair, Director of Operations and Group Veteran Lead – Riverside introduces Op Fortitude.

Everyone’s journey into and out of homelessness is particular to them. However, specific populations such as veterans tend toward specific needs requiring specific responses.

  • Veterans may find it hard to engage with and trust professionals who have no military background and haven’t shared or have an awareness of the unique experiences, circumstances and situations that members of the armed forces encounter.
  • Veterans can find themselves excluded from mainstream service provision because their behaviour does not align with the ‘normal’ client base.
  • Veterans wait longer on average than others before asking for help.

I’ve worked in the homelessness sector for a long time, and I know that a good quality supported housing scheme can work just as effectively with veterans as they can with anyone else. The common thread across both groups is trauma and the impact of trauma, and the effective ways of working with trauma are the same irrespective of the cause.

The issue is us veterans. That’s right, it’s not you its us! We are spectacularly good at excluding ourselves from mainstream services in the, unfounded, belief that because you haven’t served then you couldn’t understand us so not in a position to help us. It isn’t true, but having avoided help I desperately needed for over a decade, I know first hand how that mindset feels, and how difficult it is to move beyond it.

Having veteran specific services is important to enabling us to get over that barrier to engagement, and prevent veterans from reaching a point of acute crisis before they are prepared to accept support, as was the case with me.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Rough Sleeping Strategy revealed that 6% of UK Nationals who responded to the National Rough Sleeping Questionnaire in 2020 said they had served in the Armed Forces, 2% in London. This data, when compared to the 2021 Census data of 3.8% national and 1.4% in London, indicates that veterans are overrepresented in the rough sleeping population. We also know from the 2021 Census data that veterans are overrepresented in communal living facilities.

However, we know from the 2021 Census data that veterans are underrepresented in the supported housing sector.

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Homeless Link, through its London Plus Programme, ran a webinar to introduce Op Fortitude, at which Lee Buss-Blair spkoe. The webinar was recorded and is open to view by anyone across the country (not just London).

London PLUS OP FORTITUDE webinar

Op FORTITUDE

Op FORTITUDE is funded by The Armed Forces Covenant Fund to deliver a centralised referral pathway to end veteran homelessness. The remit of the team will be to work with individual veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness, supporting them either into suitable accommodation, or supporting them to maintain their current home.

Veterans may find it hard to engage with and trust professionals who have no military background and haven’t shared or have an awareness of the unique experiences, circumstances, and situations that members of the armed forces encounter.

If given the choice between engaging with mainstream homelessness services or not engaging at all, too many veterans will choose not to engage at all. Veterans take longer on average than others before asking for help.

Op FORTITUDE is designed to work with:

  • Veterans of the U.K. Armed Forces
  • Veterans applying for assistance as an individual, not as a family unit
  • Veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness

Anyone in contact with an eligible veteran, with the veteran’s permission, can refer into Op FORTITUDE. Eligible veterans can also self-refer using the 0800 number below

Referrals can be made to the 0800 number 24/7 and emergency accommodation will be sourced for veterans actively sleeping rough at the point of referral.

Referrals can be made through a dedicated web portal at riv.org.uk/opfortitude or by calling 0800 952 0774

The Role for the Homelessness sector

For outreach and day services colleagues the ask is simple. If you engage with a veteran who is phobic of mainstream services, please offer them the option of a referral through Op FORTITUDE.

For colleagues in supported housing, if you are working with a veteran and the placement is at risk of failing, consider Op FORTITUDE as a potential way to avoid evictions into homelessness.

Op FORTITUDE isn’t here to replicate what you do, that’s not our aim. Our aim is to support you to achieve good outcomes for veterans who may be reluctant to engage with you.

We are hopefully another tool in your toolbox!

To make a referral to Op Fortitude

Please visit the Riverside Portal:

Click here
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