- Minister for Veterans' Affairs Johnny Mercer visited Haig Housing, to meet veterans supported by the charity's work.
- The historic charity has been helping veterans for more than 100 years and last year housed 1,500 new veterans in its accommodation.
- The government is committed to ending veteran homelessness this year, including through the launch of Op Fortitude.
Historic veterans charity Haig Housing has been praised by Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer at a visit to the group's site in Morden, south-west London.
The charity provides dedicated support to more than 1,500 veterans and their families across the country, and has been operating for more than 100 years.
The Minister met with resident veterans at their Morden Estate, hearing first-hand accounts of the impact the charity's support has had on their lives and gaining a deeper understanding of the unique challenges they face.
Minister for Veterans' Affairs Johnny Mercer said:
Every veteran deserves a home that they can be proud of and the Haig Housing Trust provides an amazing service for its residents.
Last year they welcomed 115 new veterans and their families to their accommodation and I was encouraged to see the investment they're putting into their estate.
I am committed to ending veterans homelessness by the end of this year, and I pay tribute to our third sector partners who will be vitally important in delivering this.
Mr Mercer also met with the CEO of the charity, Tim Stockings, to discuss the organisation's current programmes, future challenges and the support they currently offer.
Haig Housing has embarked on a £10 million programme to improve their energy performance and sustainability of their 700 homes in England and are spending £5 million each year on investing in their estate. The charity also has a number of homes which are specially tailored for disabled veterans who have suffered life-changing injuries.
Tim Stockings, Chief Executive of Haig Housing, said:
Haig Housing was really pleased to welcome the Minister to Haig Housing, both to hear about the work we undertake and to meet Veterans, some in the homes we provide, and to engage with other Veterans and staff in a discussion about some of the challenges we all face today.
The Office for Veterans' Affairs recently announced Op Fortitude, a single referral scheme for homeless veterans to access support and housing. Along with more than £8.5 million in funding for services in veterans supported housing, the scheme will support ending veteran homelessness by the end of 2023.
Following the success of a temporary pathway set up for the Christmas period last year, the referral scheme is being designed, taking forward lessons learned and launching in Spring this year.
The visit marks just over one year on from the launch of the Veterans Strategy Action Plan, which outlined how the government would work to tackle veterans homelessness. It further highlights this government's continued commitment to improving and learning first hand from veterans themselves about what we can do better to meet their and their families' needs.
