Saturday 17 January 2009

Homes for Heroes

The Daily Mirror has launched a campaign to get something done about the 5,000 veterans who today are forced to live on the streets of Great Britain.

That's 5,000!

This is a shaming indictment of Britain today. As the paper says: "It's an inexcusable betrayal of Britain’s brave servicemen and women."
This scandalous situation was exposed in Ken Hames' BBC TV documentary last year called "Ex-forces and Homeless". Nothing has improved since then.

The demands of The Mirror's Home for Heroes campaign are:
  • A roof over the head of every homeless war vet.
  • A nationwide network of halfway-house resettlement centres.
  • Specialist alcohol and drug treatment centres.
  • Priority for veterans in the wait for social housing.
  • Help with rents and mortgages.
  • Smash the "shame barrier". Outreach teams to assist homeless veterans who are too proud to seek out help.
  • Specialist advisers to help veterans get jobs and learn new skills.
  • An immediate UK-wide inquiry to pinpoint the true scale of how many veterans have no home, where they are and what help they need to get back on their feet.

If we as a nation can't take care of those who have risked their lives for us and our freedoms, then there's something terribly wrong with the values of our society today. While Government is happy to give away £billions of our money to their friends in the City; it gives precious little for the guys doing their dirty work for them around the world.

The Mirror: Home for Heroes: Help war veterans abandoned on our streets
Also
AV: Public Accounts Committee reports on '"Leaving the Services"
AV: Ex-forces and HomelessUS National Coalition for Homeless Veterans