A dedicated helpline has been launched for homeless veterans.

Ex-servicemen and women can be referred to a network of support, including housing providers, charities and local authorities, by calling the Government-funded hotline.

The £500,000 helpline – open to people in England, Scotland and Wales – is part of a two-year £8.55 million programme working towards the Government’s pledge to end veteran rough sleeping.

The aim under the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-24 was to achieve that within the current Parliament, but the Government said that with the funding the target can be achieved ahead of schedule.

The latest Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain) report published last week stated that 5% of people seen rough sleeping in 2022/23 in London had served in the armed forces at some point in their lives.

Some 2% (119 people) of those seen rough sleeping in the year from April 2022 to March 2023 were UK nationals who have served in the armed forces, the report stated.

David Holden court case – Belfast
Johnny Mercer hailed the scheme (Liam McBurney/PA)

Veterans’ Affairs minister Johnny Mercer said: “Everyone deserves a place they can call home, not least those who have served their country. Today’s launch is a huge milestone in ending veteran homelessness and a clear demonstration of this government delivering on its promises.

“There is a lot of great work being done across the country to help veterans get the right level of support. Op Fortitude is about bringing all of this together, so any veteran has a clear pathway to get local and customised care.”

Social housing provider Riverside Group, which is running the helpline, said it is “honoured to be the organisation chosen to deliver the Op Fortitude pathway”.

Lee Buss-Blair, the organisation’s operations director, said: “Every veteran, including the most vulnerable, has the potential to make a positive contribution to their communities if given the right support. Ultimately our goal is to ensure that these veterans receive this support and can go on to fulfil their potential.

“This is the first initiative designed to end veteran homelessness, and while the task is a big one, we think that the levels of veteran rough sleeping are such that it is one that we believe can be achieved with collaboration across many sectors.”

Guidance has also been published on the Government website setting out the housing options and support available to veterans, service leavers and their families in England, including routes into both veteran-specific and civilian housing.

The Government said the £8.55 million is separate to the £20 million Veteran Capital Housing Fund announced in the Spring Budget.

Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness can contact the helpline on 0800 952 0774 or visit riv.org.uk/opfortitude.

A spokesperson said work is in progress to identify how the service can be applied to Northern Ireland.