Following serious discussions amongst the charity’s trustees, myself and the Founder, we have decided that due to the ongoing increasing calls for help from the charity, now double what they were only 3-4 years ago, plus the number of other groups offering similar support that have set up around the Country since our charity was created ten years ago:
from now we will concentrate our efforts supporting homeless veterans in the YORKSHIRE and North East LINCOLNSHIRE areas only.
This has not been an easy decision to make. We are proud of the fact that the charity has assisted over 800 veterans as far afield as The Channel Islands, Pembrokeshire, Cumbria, East Anglia and along the South Coast as well as our home area since we began working with vulnerable veterans.
But the sheer numbers now requiring assistance from our limited resources has caused us to make this difficult decision to change to our policy.
Last year we assisted 99 veterans, in the past 9 months we have already supported over 95 veterans facing homelessness as well as disbursing over 60 Fuel poverty support grants. We have also opened a new DROP IN facility in Barnsley and provided a number of veterans with days out at the Therapy Farm we work with.
This level of assistance is not sustainable for a small charity, hence our decision.
It has been left to as near as possible to the 1st April when OP FORTITUDE comes on line to alleviate too many veterans missing out from our help.
Veterans seeking assistance outside of our new areas of operation should contact the various other groups and charities working with homeless veterans.
Contact the VETERANS GATEWAY for other organisations that can help you.
Well here we are once again, another calendar year almost over and HELP 4 HOMELESS VETERANS Charity no 1148155 has again increased our activities in every way.
Since January 2022 we have provided assistance to 106 veterans throughout England and Wales facing homelessness including a street homeless lady veteran in Barnsley as well as a company strength body of sofa surfers and car sleepers. Whether its because our response times are better known in the veterans community or there are more homeless veterans the number we have assisted has year on year now for the past 4 years increased which is worrying.
Thanks to a £10,000 grant from the Veterans Foundation, this winter we have so far delivered £4000 of Utility Bill Support to 40 veterans
The highlight of 2022 though has to be finally achieving our aim of opening a Drop In Centre in Barnsley Town Centre in April. This is now developing into a useful advice and support hub for local veterans culminating in the recent Christmas Party. We have been visited by 3 local MPs the High Sheriff and a number of local Councillors as well as other support groups who we have agreed to let them use our location to meet their clients.
Other achievements include running trips out using our Minibus. Indeed they are so successful we have arranged to upgrade to a larger bus with disabled access which will be available from Spring 2023. The Therapy Farm has been the main trip which has been enjoyed by around 50 veterans this year including our own Ambassador Amber and her son Brandon.
We also ditched our display trailer and replaced it with a purpose built exhibition Van which is ready to deploy to various fund raising events as opportunities arise.
We remain very grateful to every organisation and individuals who support our work. Without your help none of the veterans we have worked with would have benefitted from the range of support we continue to provide. Thankyou all and a Merry Christmas.
The Barnsley Drop in hosted some high profile visitors in November. We had the HIGH SHERIFF OF SOUTH YORKSHIRE Lieutenant Colonel R “Mac” McPherson MBE call in and chat to volunteers at the beginning of the month.
Later we entertained John Healey MP for Wentworth and Councillor Eve Rose Keenan the Rotherham MBC Armed Forces Champion to check out the Drop In facility to see if a similar facility can be created in Rotherham – Watch this space!
Finally, on Armistice Day just after the 11 o’clock 2 minute silence, Barnsley MP former Army Officer Dan Jarvis MBE MP came to view our Drop In set up and meet some Barnsley veterans taking advantage of a free “brew and bacon butty!
BLACKPOOL BASH 2022 This is a message to all involved in the BLACKPOOL BASH annual Fund raiser to support HELP 4 HOMELESS VETERANS Charity no 1148155. From all involved here at the charity from the Trustees, Founder, volunteers, myself but most of all the 60 veterans assisted since 1st May 2022 which brings the overall total helped since Tom Wood created the organisation in 2010, to over 750, please accept our GRATEFUL THANKS for all you do to raise funds to help the most vulnerable of our fellow veterans.
I have spoken to Julie Heeney and Phil Heeney this morning to assure them that their efforts organising the event every year, now in its 8th I believe have made an amazing difference to many Veterans lives. Only this morning I was at the bank paying rent and a bond for an ex soldier in Sheffield so he can get the keys to his own place this afternoon.
ONLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE THE BLACKPOOL BASHERS GO ABOVE AND BEYOND EVERY YEAR WITH YOUR ANNUAL FUND RAISER. It has brought in many thousands of pounds over the years.
Those of us who have not served in the armed forces will never fully understand the sacrifices made or the depth of scars faced by soldiers, sailors and airmen. But we can ensure that we never forget the service of our veterans and support them in their own time of needs.
Help 4 Homeless Veterans is a Barnsley-based charity dedicated to helping the nation’s veterans who are facing homelessness.
The charity was started in 2010 by former Royal Green Jacket of 22 years, Tom Wood, after he found a homeless veteran begging in the street. Together with his wife Jean, he made a pledge to get as many veterans as he could off the streets and since then the charity has supported over 700 veterans nationwide.
Every year, thousands of vulnerable veterans end up sleeping rough, sofa surfing or living in unsuitable hostels because of barriers to accessing social housing. They deserve better.
It’s recently been enshrined in law under the Armed Forces Covenant that nobody should be disadvantaged due to being in the armed forces. As their former employer, the Ministry of Defence, are obligated to provide the resources to help ex-service men and women access the support and services they’re entitled to.
Under the covenant, local authorities should be proactively trying to find homeless veterans and help them into housing. It is vital to establish if a person has served in the Armed Forces so they can access the enhanced provision that is available to them. But small charities like Help 4 Homeless Veterans are still having to pick up the pieces and support ex-service personnel who slip through the net.
“Two generations ago, virtually everyone had some connection to the armed forces. But currently there are around 160,000 people in the British military and 2.4 million veterans who make up a small slice of society. There needs to be more education around veterans and why they might find themselves homeless and how this can affect employability and relationships,” says Tom.
At Help 4 Homeless Veterans, they do all they can to help veterans transition from Armed Forces environments to civvy street. This might be by paying for emergency accommodation, subsidising bonds or the initial rent for private housing, sourcing new furniture and appliances, or paying for food shopping.
They also run monthly visits to ex-soldier Jamie Quinn’s Lincolnshire farm for therapy which helps veterans struggling with mental health or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Earlier this year, Help 4 Homeless Veterans opened their first drop-in centre in Barnsley town centre thanks to a bequest from an ex-soldier who served with Tom. It has always been a dream of Tom’s to open a hub where comradeship can thrive, and now Help 4 Homeless Veterans can widen their support network to those who aren’t facing homelessness but still need help.
Tom is now joined by a team of fellow veterans from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force who volunteer their time to supporting their comrades, sharing their experiences forged in the military and after retiring from the armed forces.
The volunteer team can provide advice around benefits, debt management, accessing hardship funds, or where to get mental health support. They’re also on-hand to help with form filling, creating CVs or applying for jobs, and can chaperone veterans to appointments if needed. Mainly, the hub is a place where the military community can pull up a sandbag, have a brew and be part of this new unit.
Charity CEO Steve Bentham-Bates served in the RAF for 24 years before working as an employment advisor for the forces’ employment charity, RFEA, for 18 years. Newest recruit Julie Grayshon has invaluable experience in benefits and housing applications, having worked in council rents after 12 years’ combined service in the Women’s Royal Army Corps and Riyal Signals.
Help 4 Homeless Veterans is run by volunteers who all formerly served in the Armed Forces
Some of the volunteers have been on the receiving end of the charity, sharing their perspective of experiencing first-hand the life-changing work the team does. They’ve known the natural dangers that come with life in the military, but also the camaraderie, stability and discipline that’s hard to replicate in civilian life.
Former Royal Anglian, Andy Martin, was helped by the charity in 2015. He served in the army for eight years before being medically discharged for back surgery. Due to complications, he later became paralysed from the waist down. Soon after his marriage broke down and Andy found himself homeless. The charity helped Andy apply for a ground floor council flat which he says has helped turn his life around. He volunteers to share with other veterans how they too can make civilian life work for them if they get access to the right services.
Richard Parker is another volunteer who has had to cope with the physical and mental strain of being discharged early from the military due to medical grounds. After joining the army at 16, Richard says he never imagined leaving but was medically discharged after 21 years in the artillery after his section’s vehicle hit an IED in Iraq. With a young son at home, Richard lived with painful injuries to his legs for many years before it led to a heart attack in 2014 due to pressure on his arteries. Last year he finally had his leg amputated after the operation was cancelled four times.
Although he had help from military housing, Richard says it was just an empty shell with no furniture or belongings so he found himself sofa surfing up and down the country.
“People didn’t know but I had PTSD, was going through a breakdown and had attempted suicide. During lockdown Steve got in touch to ask if I was struggling and if I wanted to meet for a coffee. Within an hour and half, he had got a bed for me and my son, kitted us out with appliances, plates, towels, everything we’d need. It broke my heart. I’d previously contacted big military charities and have finally heard back 19 months later. Team means together everyone achieves more and without that team I wouldn’t be here. If it wasn’t for people like Steve and Tom us veterans would get left on the wayside.”
Last year, the charity helped 99 people across the country in various ways, with the figure set to grow as the cost of living crisis tightens its grip on the most vulnerable in society. The volunteers work tirelessly to make sure nobody is forgotten and have received numerous awards for their work, including the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2020 and an MBE for founder, Tom.
But it is by their deeds that they’re known.
“Money is our lifeblood and we have a constant battle for fundraising. It was particularly difficult during Covid but we have reserves for the next 12 months to fund the new premises. It will cost us about £12,000 a year to run but it will be money well spent if people benefit from the support we’re able to give,” says Steve.
With no funding from government or local authorities, Help 4 Homeless Veterans are indebted to the generous donations they receive from the community. This year, they were one of two chosen charities at the annual Match 4 Heroes football event which Rotherham referee, Mick Webb, is involved in organising.
“I’m not a veteran but these guys give their lives for us so every bit of help is good help. The event was originally set up by the parents of fallen soldiers in Huddersfield so it’s always had a military connection. This year we had an army team, police team, Huddersfield legends team and a local team from Golcar where the match was held. It raised £13,000 which was split between Help 4 Homeless Veterans and the Yorkshire Regiment Benevolent Trust.”
The drop-in centre, based on Regent Street South in Barnsley town centre, is open three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am until 2pm, but there is always someone at the end of the phone if help is needed.
HELP 4 HOMELESS VETERANS charity no 1148155 hosted a visit by local MP and Shadow Minister for Veterans Stephanie Peacock MP this lunch time at our new Barnsley Veterans Drop in Hub.
She spoke to Founder Tom Wood MBE and volunteers Andy and Diane Martin and myself about our work, how we support veterans, the Veterans Strategy Action Plan points relating to homelessness. We discussed cross referals to food banks.
We also suggested engaging with other local MPs like John Healey MP Shadow Defence Secretary and Dan Jarvis MBE MP, the new South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard to raise awareness of our new Drop In facility to aid ALL Veterans in the area.
Finally Stephanie expressed an interest in visiting our Therapy Farm Project so I warned her to bring her wellies!
Thankyou for taking the time to visit our charity today. #veterans #homelessness
Today 12 years after Tom Wood MBE and his wife Jean created Help 4 Homeless Veterans, their long-held aspirations to open a Veterans drop-in centre in their hometown of Barnsley came to fruition.
With the help of money bequeathed to the charity promised specifically to assist with the aim of creating this centre, and after a 2-year delay because of the pandemic, today it has finally opened with The Vice Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire Mr. John Holt DL cutting the ribbon.
Tom and volunteers will staff the shop at 11 Regent Street South just yards from the Interchange entrance 3 days a week initially to offer advice and practical assistance to veterans.
The charity’s rapid interventions assisting around 700 veterans, nearly 100 in the last 12 months alone has attracted Royal recognition with the award in 2020 of The Queens Award for Voluntary Service as well as a number of other community service awards along the way.
Veterans can ask for help either through calling in to the Drop-in shop, or by the web site www.help4homelessveterans.org
HIGH SHERIFF OF SOUTH YORKSHIRE PRESENTS A COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD TO JOHN HEALY CHAIR OF HELP 4 HOMELESS VETERANS CHARITY
Charity Chair John Healy who celebrates his 72nd birthday tomorrow, today received a Community Service Award from the High Sheriff of South Yorkshire – Mr Martin McKervey. The award is for: Voluntary service supporting Homeless Veterans
John and his wife Linda, accompanied by Steve Bentham-Bates the CEO of the charity who nominated John for this award met the High Sheriff in the impressive Cutlers Hall this morning.
Doncaster Councillor John is a retired social housing manager and has been the Chair of Trustees of the charity for 6 years. He has led the small team of trustees, staff and volunteers and in this period enabled the charity to support around 500 homeless veterans throughout England and Wales.
The High Sheriff said:
I have witnessed many volunteers doing remarkable work during my term in office. John Healy is one such person. As Chair of Help 4 Homeless Veterans charity, he has led a team making life changing differences to hundreds of vulnerable Veterans of HM Armed Forces, enabling them to turn their lives around. He is thoroughly deserving of my Community Service Award today.
John had this to say afterwards:
I want to thank the High Sheriff for presenting me with his Award and my CEO for putting me forward for consideration for it.
It recognizes the efforts of my team of staff and volunteers who together have assisted over 500 homeless veterans whilst I have been Chair of the Board of Trustees. I accept this award on their behalf too. In the six years I have led the charity, we have worked hard, continuously throughout the pandemic, and now we are enjoying more freedom the additional support we have developed such as working with The Therapy Farm and the soon to be opened Homeless Veterans Drop-In Support Centre in Barnsley are coming to fruition. I am proud to lead such a worthwhile charity and receive this formal recognition and official thank you this morning.
