Royal Air Force veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness will benefit from a new grant of £15,000 to Alabaré Homes for Veterans by the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund…
Alabaré Homes for Veterans offers support to service men and women across the UK who have left active service and who are experiencing difficulty adapting to civilian life. These former service personnel are homeless or at risk of being homeless, usually due to a lack of support network and social isolation after discharge. Others sometimes experience depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, ill health, unemployment, family breakdown or similar. Alabaré is there for them, to give them a helping hand.
Andrew Lord, Chief Executive, Alabaré Christian Care & Support said: “The RAF Benevolent Fund is a generous supporter of Alabaré’s work with vulnerable veterans. With their financial support we have been able to provide much needed accommodation and support to vulnerable RAF veterans in our homes in the South West of England and Wales. The RAF Benevolent Fund is a great organisation to work with as we both strive to transform the lives of veterans. We look forward to working with them in the future.”
Alabaré currently operates 24 Homes for Veterans across England and Wales, providing bed spaces for 120 veterans in crisis. Last year alone, Homes for Veterans supported 230 ex-service personnel across our region. The support the charity offers is a temporary one, helping veterans to gain the skills and confidence they need to move on.
The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund’s £15,000 grant will go towards specifically addressing the needs of the RAF beneficiaries in Alabaré’s Homes for Veterans in England and Wales who find themselves in challenging circumstances having left active service. Without the financial support from charities such as The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, Alabaré could not continue to provide much needed care and support to ex service men and women in need.
Paul Hughesdon, RAF Benevolent Fund Director of Welfare and Policy, said: “Most RAF personnel transition smoothly to civilian life, but specialist charities such as Alabaré provide vital services for those who have trouble adapting or who face extra challenges. We are pleased to support Alabaré’s efforts as part of our commitment to helping members of the RAF Family in their times of need.”
Case study: Rob
Rob was in the RAF for 22 years and developed PTSD following his experiences in the second Gulf War. Rob had previously lived in an Alabaré residence for a month during which time he quickly found work and accommodation but had subsequently lost his job and needed to move out of the friend’s home where he was staying. Rob self-referred to Alabaré’s Plymouth home as he wanted to get his life back on track again and find suitable accommodation.
Staff assisted Rob with some of his financial issues, negotiating a reduction to repayments of previous housing benefit debt and supporting him to communicate with his bank to reduce payments of a bank loan. Rob was also supported to maintain his tenancy when falling into rent arrears with the creation of a repayment plan. Rob successfully adhered to this payment plan.
Rob wanted help to tackle his addiction to alcohol. We supported referrals for him to Harbour Drug and Alcohol Service to and to Hamoaze House, a day service providing ongoing support for people with drug and alcohol issues. Here he attended groups and other activities.
Rob was referred to Combat Stress and The South West Veterans Mental Health Service to address his mental health issues. A referral was also made to the Help for Heroes recovery centre in Plymouth.
In May this year Rob approached the Royal British Legion, at the recommendation of Plymouth Home for Veterans staff, to apply for a bond/rent in advance for private rented accommodation. Rob felt he was now ready to move on.
Rob found a room in a shared house and moved out of the project. He is confident in managing his accommodation and personal affairs and knows how to access support in the future.
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