Homeless Servicemen

[rarelyathome]

does anybody care about those that have served their country anymore? Did they ever?

Perhaps the SFA 'they' are rumoured to be working to get rid of could be put to good use as housing for these folk.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6934300.stm

[ZH875]

does anybody care about those that have served their country anymore? Did they ever?

Perhaps the SFA 'they' are rumoured to be working to get rid of could be put to good use as housing for these folk.



Unfortunately, the surplus SFA will be required for housing asylum seekers, as keeping them locked up in a detention centre after they have finished their jail sentences is inhumane, and we cannot send them back to their country, because they have a criminal record.

And they wonder why the UK is going downhill rapidly.

Maybe, we should hire a fleet of vehicles and ship the servicemen to france where they could claim 'Asylum', and let the french give them houses (this will give them time for a holiday, whilst this despicable government does something to sort out the problem, and can then reclaim them) They have as much right to asylum in France, as 99% of asylum seekers entering the UK have for asylum here.

[airborne_artist]

Marriage breakdown, alcohol dependency, drug abuse, mental health issues are all higher for ex-Servicemen that most categories of civilian life, and they will get worse as long the the tempo stays high - the majority of guys suffering are ex-infantrymen whose skills don't transfer so well to civilian life, and for whom the transition is very quick, with little support.

Another campaign for Arrse to take on, I think.

[ArthurR]

Airborne Artist, as you rightly said mainly infantry but not all, 4 out of 5 I had, now I am only down to one, and this is after 30 years of leaving the service, I will stick with the drink, at least I can sleep

[Impiger]

I don't wish to play down the plight of the homeless but we need to be a bit careful with definitions in reporting/reading the reporting of this story. I was involved in 2000 with some of this work and so know a little bit of the background.

The impression given is that these are ex-Servicemen who leave and go straight onto the streets because there are no homes for them. This is rarely the case. Many of the homeless have Service backgrounds followed by perfectly normal lives in Civvy street before encountering whatever it was that made them homeless. To suggest it is their Service that lies at the root of their problems is misleading at best - it will be true for some but not for all.
What does seem a common thread is that those used to the camaraderie and somewhat protective nature of Service life are less able to cope when this is withdrawn - seems strange for such a self reliant bunch but it seems to be an underlying cause. Therefore what a number of ex-Service charities and housing associations try to do is replicate the mess environment.


Many Servicemen, individually or collectively, raise masses of money for various charities but I'm often surprised by how few of these are Service related. We could all do with supporting Service charities more while we're in. Worth a thought - one never knows when their help might come in handy.

[Rocket Chucker]

Impiger,

Whilst I can see your point and agree with it to a certain degree, and bow to your superior knowledge, the fact remains there is a real problem happening here.

More should be done to help these men and women. They have served their country and have been used to a sheltered environment. But they have also been exposed to an extremely hostile environment, particularly in the last ten to fifteen years with the Balkans and the Gulf conflicts.

These problems are only going to get worse and we need to put something together now before it spirals out of control, if it hasn't already. Most of them probably did have houses and jobs before losing it all through drugs and/or alcohol. But their mental problems aren't necessarily linked to these.

Not being able to cope with the memories or experiences they have lived through are the triggers; and with a more understanding attitude from MoD to mental health problems we can prevent the trigger from being pulled. Launching these poor souls into a life of despair.

With the over stretch of our military this WILL increase the number of examples of homeless and jobless ex service personnel.