ABF The Soldiers’ Charity is delighted to award a £230,000 grant to SSAFA, towards its welfare support services as well as the annual running costs of its Stepping Stone refuge home for military families, Gildea House.
The charity has a special friendship with SSAFA and since 1945 they have supported its mission to relieve need, suffering and distress amongst Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families. By funding SSAFA they are ensuring the need can be speedily and effectively assessed – it is SSAFA’s caseworkers who visit soldiers, veterans and their families and assess their circumstances, so they can make grants swiftly to help them if they are in need.
In 2021, SSAFA branches handled over 10,000 cases, 66 per cent of which related to the Army family. In the past 10 months alone, SSAFA’s Stepping Stone refuge home supported 41 women and children – many of them survivors of domestic abuse – 29 of whom were from Army families.
Lieutenant General (Ret’d) Sir Andrew Gregory KBE CB DL, Controller of SSAFA, said:
“This exceptionally generous donation from the ABF The Soldiers’ Charity will allow SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity to continue to provide vital support to current and former members of the British Army and their families. We continue to adapt our services to meet the evolving needs of our military personnel, both past and present, in order to build their independence and dignity. SSAFA is proud to be able to provide that support in partnership with ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and is extremely grateful for its contribution.”
Brigadier (Ret’d) Peter Monteith, Chief of Staff at ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, added:
“We regard SSAFA as one of our closest partners in looking after the needs of veterans and service families. Among the military charities, SSAFA’s impressive casework reaches far and wide across local communities. We are always proud to support its work, especially in these economically challenging times.”
Read more about SSAFA’s work here: https://www.ssafa.org.uk/
