Providing tailored support to our veterans

Steve Roden has recently been appointed as the Armed Forces Outreach Service Worker at YHN, working closely with and providing tailored support for veterans.

Those who have served their countries, along with their families, are provided with assistance with housing, such as first tenancies after leaving the Forces, private letting, supported accommodation and move on, and clearance of rent and council tax arrears.

Steve, who joined the Army as a 16-year-old and served 36 years, will also help them access service charities in the hope to secure funds for white/brown goods, carpets or any other financial need.

Support for employment, education, training and volunteering, specifically for the Armed Forces Community, will also be given by Steve.

And he will also provide mental health assistance and fast tracking for counselling.

In his role as the main conduit between the client and YHN, Steve will assist the housing team with advice in relation to interpreting the Armed Forces Covenant and will assist in applying the correct banding in relation to housing applications from the Armed Forces Community and will be responsible for gathering information to support those applications.

Steve is fully embedded within the YHN housing team and will work collaboratively across YHN and housing providers and partner organisations throughout the North East, to be the main link to the Armed Forces Community.

Steve, who spent the last five years of his Army career as a desk officer working at the Ministry of Defence in London, said: “It was time for me to leave. They couldn’t find another job for me with my knowledge, skills and experience. All good things come to an end. 36 years was enough.

“It [my role] is about understanding the terminology used within the military community, understanding the current policies and seeing the initiatives the Ministry of Defence are pushing forward and how that could impact in the future.

“The North East is a hotbed for Army recruitment so that is where the majority of our clients are from, although we still have some from the RAF and Navy.”

Steve supports the applicant in navigating the process when applying for housing, removing any barriers for those military personnel who are transitioning out of service and into civilian life and may be unfamiliar with the policies and procedures.

Steve will also be key in supporting and assisting the Veteran community, who are currently housed but may be at risk of losing their home and preventing homelessness.

He regularly meets with clients out and about in communities as well as holding drop-in sessions for them. “Some are elderly and don’t have the internet so it’s very hard to communicate with them over the phone so it’s easier to see them in person. I can see their living experience as well at the same time.”

Steve added: “I think for some when they leave the Armed Forces it can be daunting. The Army looks after you from day one but then never get in contact again when you leave. Some veterans don’t know where to go for cleaning or food or how to make appointments.

“The aim is to drive down homelessness within the veterans community. We give them advice on social housing, employment and debt advice.”

Steve said there is a lot of help that veterans can tap into, not just with YHN but also with military charities and more, while staff will visit bases, such as Catterick, to talk to serving soldiers about life in “civvy street” and what support is available to them.

“There are half-way houses that can look after those who leave the Army for a week or two. Our aim is to get them before they leave as it’s a bit late if they are leaving or have left.”

And Steve was full of praise for his new colleagues at YHN.

He said: “I’ve been made very welcome by YHN. I’ve tried to get into a lot of meetings so I can understand how things work, how lettings work and getting used to all the abbreviations.

“It’s a great team, great place to work with a nice mix of hybrid work, plus the different teams available such as Employability to help people find work.”

If you or your partner are serving or have formerly served in the Armed Forces, it is imperative to highlight this when applying for social housing.

If you are working with an applicant/client who served, regardless of how long ago they left, please contact Steve in the first instance to see if he can assist.

Steve welcomes enquiries for advice and support in relation to members of the Armed Forces Community and their families.

Anyone who wants more information can contact Steve on steve.roden@yhn.org.uk or call 07928 129183.