Former service personnel suffering from PTSD or other mental illnesses will be prioritised for social housing under proposals published for consultation by the Government.
The proposals outlined in the consultation also aim to 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.
The document says that 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.
‘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,’ said Secretary of State for Housing James Brokenshire.
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 people who split from their partner in the Forces are made to move out of military accommodation and can be denied social housing because they have “not been resident in the area for long enough.
Brokenshire pointed out that some may not be willing or able to settle in the district where their military spouse or partner is stationed, particularly if they have been the victim of domestic abuse.
‘Some councils already support people in this situation but Government is consulting on publishing new guidance which will encourage councils to waive the residency rules,’ he added.
The Government introduced protections in 2012 to ensure that members of the Armed Forces community are not disadvantaged in accessing social housing because of the requirements of military life.
The law was changed so that seriously injured and disabled service personnel, and former members of the Armed Forces, with urgent housing needs are always given high priority for social housing.
At the same time it introduced regulations to ensure that serving personnel and those who are recently discharged do not lose their qualification rights because of the necessity to move from base to base.
The current aim is to build 250,000 affordable homes by March 2022, including homes for social rent.
