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<p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works closely with both the Ministry of Housing,
Communities and Local Government and the Department for Health and Social Care to
ensure that veterans feel supported on these issues. However, the MOD does not have
primary responsibility for housing veterans or treating their mental health.</p><p>
</p><p>The MOD strongly believes that no-one should be homeless, least of all someone
who has served their country. As part of the Strategy for our Veterans and its consultation,
the Government has made clear its commitment to tackling rough sleeping and homelessness
and ensuring that all veterans have a secure place to live: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/
strategy-for-our-veterans. There is, however, no substantive evidence to suggest that
veterans are over-represented in the homeless population.</p><p> </p><p>The MOD works
with other service providers to ensure there is a coordinated and structured approach
to homelessness amongst the small minority of veterans who are without homes. Our
aim is both to prevent new Service leavers becoming homeless and to provide an effective
safety net for existing homeless veterans. Former Service personnel with urgent housing
needs are always given high priority for social housing.</p><p> </p><p>Service personnel
can also be provided with a certificate of cessation six months before they leave
the Armed Forces. The certificate contains the date Service personnel stop being entitled
to Service accommodation and can be considered by local authorities as evidence of
impending homelessness, arising from cessation of entitlement to Service accommodation.
If Service personnel think they will become homeless they can show the certificate
to their Local Authority, which will then conduct an assessment of individual housing
needs.</p><p> </p><p>For those veterans who may be experiencing mental health difficulties,
in addition to their mainstream mental health services NHS England has commissioned
two bespoke services. The first is the Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service
(TILS) which supports serving personnel who need additional support as they are leaving
the Armed Forces and veterans who have mental health issues. The TILS is also the
entry point to the Complex Treatment Service (CTS), the second service commissioned
by NHS England. The CTS is able to provide a range of more intensive care and treatment
for veterans with military-related complex mental health difficulties, many of whom
will have experienced trauma.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, the new Office for Veterans’
Affairs (OVA) in the Cabinet Office has been created to ensure the full power of Government
is harnessed to help veterans. The OVA will use the convening power of the Cabinet
Office within Whitehall to ensure better coordination of support. This will include
helping veterans access services, such as training, housing, healthcare and mental
health services. The OVA will also be a champion for veterans. On 16 October 2019
the Cabinet Office announced the appointment of retired Colonel David Richmond CBE,
a former Commanding Officer of 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, who served
in Afghanistan and Iraq and subsequently became the Recovery Director at Help for
Heroes, to lead the OVA. One of the first tasks of the OVA will be to consider responses
to the Strategy for our Veterans public consultation and announce a detailed work
programme and implementation plan to take the Strategy forward across the various
Government Departments with an interest in veterans’ issues.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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