£45k help for veterans
SEFTON Council is continuing its support of exArmed Forces personnel across the borough with a £45,000 contribution to the Veterans in Sefton (ViS) charity.
As part of its commitment to reducing homelessness, the council has agreed to provide this funding to help assist exArmed Forces personnel who are homeless, or who are threatened with homelessness, to find accommodation.
The charity will be given £30,000 in two stages, with £15,000 contributed in 2018-19 and £15,000 in 2019-20.
This follows an initial £15,000 donated earlier this year from Sefton Council’s Combating Homelessness Budget.
Sefton Council’s cabinet member for communities and housing, Cllr Trish Hardy, said: “Through its incredible work, Veterans in Sefton (ViS) have given immeasurable physical and mental support to exArmed Forces personnel and their families.
“ViS mentors are all exservice personnel and have a high understanding of Armed Forces culture and can understand all the difficulties presented in the transition from military to civilian life.
“So far, mentors have been able to help 46 veterans to find a home, improve their accommodation or save them from eviction.
“This additional funding will go a long way in helping ViS continue in their efforts to combat homelessness within the veteran community.
“As a borough, we have over 25,000 veterans living in Sefton and we want to do as much as we can to help them in any way possible.”
CEO of Veterans in Sefton, Dave Smith, added: “We are very proud to be chosen by Sefton Council to deliver a solution to veterans’ housing issues and it is a privilege to be working together to help those in need.”
For more about the charity and the work that it does, visit www.veterans insefton.org/