Thanks to a grant from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund, Housing Options Scotland (HOS) via the Military Matters Project, will be out at bases across the country in the coming year presenting information and advice sessions to the serving community and their families in Scotland…
These get underway next week with sessions for the Royal Engineers and the RAF in Kinloss and Lossiemouth respectively.
There have been a number of recent research articles looking at the issues that veterans and their families face once they leave the armed forces behind and housing is usually near the top of the list. In particular the aim for this project is to improve access to information and advice for military families and spouses who may find that the usual arrangements for these sort of events do not fit with their other day to day responsibilities and priorities.
So that’s where Housing Options comes in. Prevention is better than cure as they say, so making sure each audience knows where to go for advice and support should help address some of the housing problems that often occur further down the line.
HOS are interested in finding out what the similarities and/or differences there are between the three services and across very different parts of Scotland. They are keen to make sure that when they present these sessions to an audience, they reflect local issues and meet the needs of those attending. At the end of each session HOS staff will be able to offer some confidential advice on a one to one basis as well, if personnel or their families feel that they have some concerns and don’t know where to turn.
The presentations will cover the following;
- Social and Private Renting
- House purchase
- Incentives available to first time buyers
- Using the resources and discounts available, saving money
- Dealing with housing associations, local authorities and other stakeholders
- Moving on, where to turn for advice after leaving the armed forces
Housing Options Scotland is a long established charity with a track record of providing impartial and independent housing advice.