2. Homeless rights for ex-forces
You may qualify for help from if you are a former member of the armed forces and are homeless or threatened with homelessness. We will need to be satisfied you are eligible for assistance and homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days.
Subject to you satisfying the above criteria, we will help you to secure accommodation. If you are homeless, the Housing Options Team will assess whether you qualify for temporary accommodation whilst we try to help you secure alternative housing.
You should also be treated as being vulnerable and therefore in priority need for accommodation if you can show that your vulnerability is as a result of being a former member of the armed forces.
When deciding this, we will consider:
- how long you were in the forces and what role you had
- if you spent any time in a military hospital
- if you were released from service on medical grounds (and have a Medical History Release Form
- if you have had accommodation since leaving service and you have been able to obtain or maintain accommodation since you have left
- how long it has been since you left the armed forces
To help support your case, you may need to provide medical evidence from the MOD, including a Medical History Release Form (if you were given one).
You may need to seek independent legal advice or help from a specialist agency to make representations on your behalf if we decide that you do not meet the criteria set out above, and therefore we do not owe a duty to you to provide you with temporary accommodation. We will however continue to work with you to help you secure accommodation.
Please see our Homeless guide for full details on the homelessness process.