Housing Advice for ex Armed Forces

The information below is for British Armed Forces Veterans who are seeking housing advice from Erewash Borough Council. It provides information on support that may be available to you if you've left or are about to leave the military and ideas for finding somewhere to live.

If you are threatened with homelessness?

If you think you will be made homeless in the next 56 days and you cannot find your own accommodation, you can approach any local authority in England to ask for assistance. Providing you are eligible, the council will assess your needs and draw up a plan to help you to resolve your housing problem.


This plan will include steps that you and the council can take to find a solution to try to prevent you from becoming homeless. This could involve, for example, negotiating with your landlord, securing debt advice, maximising benefits or referring you to other relevant support services.


Erewash Borough Council has a number of homeless prevention tools that we can use in order to prevent your homelessness. These include but are not limited to:

If you are already Homeless

If the Council cannot prevent you becoming homeless, and you have nowhere to go now your housing Options officer will carry out an assessment to decide if you have what is referred to as a ‘priority need’. This means that that you are considered to be more vulnerable than the average person who is homeless and the likelihood of harm to you. One factor the council will consider is whether or not you are vulnerable as a result of the time you spent in the armed forces so it is very important that you provide your officer with any information you wish them to consider.

If this is the case, we will provide you with suitable temporary accommodation, while we try and help you to find a more permanent solution. It is important to know that there is not a duty at this point to provide you with accommodation unless the Council considers that you have a priority need.

Whether you are vulnerable or not, we will try and relieve your homelessness and we will develop Personal Housing Plan with you to decide what housing is suitable. This is what is known as the relief duty. The relief duty to assist you lasts for up to 56 days and can be ended sooner if you refuse an offer of accommodation which the Council decides is suitable. If you are made an offer of accommodation please think carefully before refusing this as this may discharge the authorities duty to you.

Help from the military

You can get specialist advice from the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) housing advice service - the Joint Service Housing Advice Office (JSHAO) - before you leave the forces.


The JSHAO also runs the MOD referral scheme which may help you to find a housing association home. You can apply if you're:

• single and living in a hostel within 6 months of leaving the forces
• a married or a separated spouse still in living in services family accommodation (SFA)

The MOD also runs the Veterans UK helpline which gives advice to veterans in a crisis. You can contact the Veterans UK helpline on 0808 191 4218

Veterans Gateway

Veterans can access services through the Veterans Gateway an online service and telephone resource commissioned by the Ministry of Defence and delivered by a consortium headed by The Royal British Legion. 

You can contact Veterans Gateway 0808 802 1212 Lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Confederation of Service Charities

Veterans can also find information on housing on the website for the Confederation of Service Charities.

Forces in the Community

Forces in the community are a charity based in Beeston. The charity delivers tailored employment guidance, housing advice, mental health support and counselling, and benefit and welfare advice. 

Haig Housing

Haig Housing provides housing assistance to ex-Service people and/or their dependants by letting general needs homes at affordable rents to the ex-Service community. They have properties available in a number of locations throughout the UK. To be considered for housing, applicants must have a British Armed Forces connection and be in housing need. 

The Royal British Legion

The Legion might be able to help with a rent deposit. Contact Royal British Legion or call 0808 802 8080

SSAFA

SSAFA provides housing advice to people serving in the forces and to ex services personnel and their families. SSAFA can be contacted through the SSAFA website or on 0800 731 4880.