- New measures could help councils ensure that members of the Armed Forces and veterans suffering from mental ill health are given the right priority for social housing.
- Divorced partners of Armed Forces personnel will also benefit for the first time.
Former service personnel suffering from PTSD or other mental illnesses will be prioritised for social housing under proposals published for consultation by Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP.
Today’s measures (9 January 2019) will also help people who divorce or separate from their partners in the Armed Forces by exempting them from rules requiring them to be a local resident before being given a property.
While the majority of military personnel transition successfully into civilian life, an overhaul of the system will also mean all applicants for social housing will be asked if they have served in the Forces at the outset of the process to ensure veterans get the help they are entitled to.
Council staff will also get extra training so they can give current and former Armed Forces personnel the housing support they need.
Since 2012, current and former service personnel have not had to be ‘resident’ in an area to get access to a social home for their families, as part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.
Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said:
“We have a duty to ensure our heroic military personnel get the support they need when applying for a social home.
We want to see that applying for social property should not be a challenge in the transition from military service to civilian life.
These new measures are part of our continuing commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.”
An 8-week consultation on the new rules starts today.
Under the proposals, those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental illnesses could be treated in the same way as those with physical injuries, and get the priority they deserve.
Read the full article here.
