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It operates from two locations: a Drop-in Centre and Head Office in central London (Victoria) and a residential home called New Belvedere House in East London (Stepney).[2]
The charity's primary activities are providing services to veterans in crisis, including supporting the homeless.
History
Veterans Aid was established in 1932 to respond to homelessness among military veterans in London, caused by poverty and unemployment. The organization was originally known as the Embankment Fellowship Centre.
The charity was founded by Gwendoline Huggins, whose husband served as adjutant of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 1932 to 1935.[3] After seeing veterans sleeping on London's streets and along the Thames Embankment, she opened H10, a canteen and recreation room for homeless veterans, in Lambeth, South London, in January 1932.[4]
In 2007, the charity was renamed Veterans Aid, and its mandate was expanded beyond homelessness to address a broader range of issues affecting veterans in crisis.[5]
The charity provides crisis intervention for veterans, with a focus on preventing or alleviating homelessness. The organization provides a range of essential services, including emergency housing, the distribution of food and clothing, and referrals to specialized support agencies. Veterans Aid operates programs intended to stabilize an individual’s immediate circumstances and connect them with longer-term support, including housing services, addiction recovery programs, and employment resources.[citation needed]
The charity has a “No First Night Out” policy, whereby the charity will immediately provide food, clothing, and accommodation to those seeking and qualifying for its help.[citation needed]
Subsequent interventions can include counseling, addiction treatment, rehabilitation, debt management, and, where appropriate, access to education, retraining, or the acquisition of a new skill. Veterans are given assistance to identify employment opportunities, and, when considered ready, to source homes.[7]
Veterans Aid is to benefit from Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan’s Life off the Streets programme; this service helped 5,455 people between March and December 2019.
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