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<p>Local authorities share in our national commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant
and should meet their obligations from own resources. Though we have set aside £200,000
in 2014/15 from the annual Disabled Facilities Grant funding for local authorities
to fund home adaptations (eg ramps, walk-in showers, stairlifts) to meet the needs
of disabled ex-Service personnel who wish to live independently in their homes.</p><p>
</p><p>We have provided grants (totalling over £1 million) with MOD, to a small number
of local authorities in 2011 and 2012 to support the successful integration of retired
Gurkha soldiers who wished to settle in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>We have also introduced
a number of measures over the last few years as a contribution towards meeting the
objectives of the Armed Forces Covenant to ensure that the Armed Forces Community
do not face disadvantage, particularly in housing. This includes:</p><p> </p><p><strong>Improved
Access to Social Housing </strong></p><p> </p><p>We have introduced protection to
ensure that former and current Service personnel are not disadvantaged in accessing
social housing because of the disadvantages of military life. We have made sure that
seriously injured personnel and former members of the Armed Forces with urgent housing
needs are always given high priority for social housing, and that serving personnel
and those who have recently been discharged do not lose their qualification rights
because of the requirement to move from base to base.</p><p> </p><p>We have also encouraged
local authorities to in general give sympathetic consideration to the housing needs
of family members of serving or former Service personnel.</p><p><br><strong>Preventing
Homelessness </strong></p><p> </p><p>We have introduced measures to provide support
for specialist accommodation for veterans, and work with councils to prevent homelessness.
We have also introduced initiatives such as Streetlink and No Second Night Out which
ensure that when veterans end up sleeping rough they are offered care and support
from local services.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Access to home ownership</strong></p><p>
</p><p>Members of the Armed Forces have been given priority for Government-funded
shared ownership schemes and are able to access Help to Buy: equity loan scheme. The
priority status can also be transferred to bereaved spouses or civil partners.</p><p>
</p><p>We have also worked with MOD, credit reference agencies and Royal Mail to standardise
Forces’ Post Office addresses so personnel are not disadvantaged when applying for
mortgages.</p>
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