Help if you are a homeless veteran

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 find a housing association home. You can apply if you are:

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

Find out more about the scheme on GOV.UK: MOD Referral Scheme .

The MOD also run the Veterans UK helpline which gives advice to veterans in a crisis.

Help from military charities

Veterans' Gateway is the first point of contact for veterans seeking support. It's made up of a number of military charities and can put you in touch with organisations who can help further.

If you're at risk of homelessness or rough sleeping, you can get help to find accommodation from:

• Single Persons Accommodation Centre for the Ex Services (SPACES)
• Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA)
• Royal British Legion
• Veterans Aid

The following specialist housing associations provide longer-term housing for veterans:

• Stoll (supported housing for vulnerable veterans)
• Haig Housing (general needs housing for ex-service single people and families)

There are many veteran's organisations that can assist with a wide range of issues. Further information about the kinds of support available to you can be found on our Support for serving armed forces personnel, reservists and veterans section.

Applying to the council for housing

The MOD gives you a Certificate of Cessation of Entitlement 6 months before you leave the forces. It contains the date that you stop being entitled to forces accommodation.

Apply to the council for help with housing when you receive the certificate if you think you might be homeless on discharge. You will need to produce this certificate to the housing team to support your application.

The council will

• treat you as 'threatened with homelessness' 56 days before the certificate expires
• look into your situation and decide how we can help

You can find out about applying for council housing in Kirklees on our Joining the housing register section.

When applying for council housing in Kirklees we ask a series of question about serving in the Armed Forces to help us identify current or ex members so we can provide tailored assistance to you.

Tell the council if you:

• had a front-line role
• have a serious injury, illness or disability relating to your service in the regular or reserve forces
• were released on medical grounds
• were discharged on disciplinary grounds
• left your forces accommodation before you had to
• had to leave services family accommodation because your spouse or civil partner died in service

We will assess the application and award the appropriate banding on the housing register, taking into account your needs and our legal obligations to you.

If you are due to leave the armed forces and therefore your accommodation please be ready to produce your Certificate of Service.

If you have not been able to secure alternative accommodation once we receive your certificate and you have dependent children, or are single and have a vulnerability such as a physical disability we will be able to award you the highest band on our housing register.

If you are applying within five years of leaving the Armed Forces you will not be subject to a local connection test.

Further guidance

• GOV.UK: Emergency housing if you're homeless
• GOV.UK: Support for war veterans

Other ways to contact us

You can call into one of our Customer services centres or telephone us:-

To allow enough time for us to discuss your housing options with you, please attend before 4.00pm. If you come to us after this time we will only be able to give you emergency housing advice.

• Kirklees Council Housing Solutions Service,
• Address Huddersfield Customer Service Centre, Civic Centre 3, Market Street, Huddersfield, HD1 2YZ
• Address Dewsbury Customer Service Centre, Walsh Building, Town Hall Way, Dewsbury, WF12 8EQ
• Phone 01484 221350
• Out of hours emergency service (24 hours a day) Phone 01484 414933
• Email housing.solutions@kirklees.gov.uk