Supporting homeless ex-servicemen

The accommodation block, which encompasses 25 furnished, self-contained flats, is located in Aldershot and was opened to tenants in July 2008. It is named after General Sir Mike Jackson who was formerly Head of the British Army and is run by the English Churches Housing Group (ECHG), part of the Riverside Group receiving annual funding from Hampshire County Council.

Derek is one of a team of dedicated staff - three of whom are ex-servicemen themselves - who work with their tenants to help them gain the skills required for independent living, including finding somewhere permanent to live and a job. To date 40 residents have resided at the hostel, and with the support of the 24-hour staff at MJH, 14 have moved on to live independently.

The hostel offers short-term accommodation for up to 18 months but for Armed Service leavers its package boasts much more than just that. Derek comments:

"Our clients have access to a kitchen where they can learn to cook, an IT suite for essential computer skills training and internet access so they can research career opportunities, a gym and several communal areas.

"Most importantly though, they are allocated a dedicated support worker who helps them identify what actions they need to take in order to achieve their own goals in life."

Sadly demand exceeds supply. Since opening its doors last year, Derek has received 79 referrals for his 25 places from the MOD Single Persons Accommodation Centre for Ex-Services (SPACES) scheme, which deals with allocations.

MJH residents benefit from living alongside peers who are facing many of the same problems as them, ranging from addiction to post traumatic stress.

This makes Derek's job both testing and rewarding:

"I had one client who was violent and after a series of incidents I was left with no choice but to ask him to leave. I need to ensure this remains a safe environment for all tenants but for someone who has worked with homeless people their entire career, taking a decision that would make someone homeless was not easy."

But the success stories outweigh the failures:

"One client who had serious problems with alcohol has now been sober for ten weeks. Another former occupant, who had lived in hostel accommodation for over three years, came to us and in just three months we resettled him into his own flat where he is now building a life for himself."

The past six months has been a learning curve for Derek. He admits it is difficult to strike the balance between helping his clients and ensuring they are also developing the essential life skills they need:

"We want it to feel like home but our clients have to move on in 18 months and we need to equip them for that."

A Residents' Committee already influences the way the hostel is governed and the tenants will play a key part in the plans Derek has for MJH's future. He hopes to establish a lodge in the hostel's grounds which will serve as private consultation area and in the longer term may even be used as an alternative therapy centre. The structure will be built by the tenants and where tradesmen need to be brought in, the occupants will have the opportunity to shadow them.

The MJH project is certainly a step in the right direction but Derek acknowledges that more facilities like this are required:

"But it is not just bed spaces we need, it's specialist facilities such as secure detox rooms, so we can really help these individuals, whatever their needs."

One ex-serviceman who has benefited from MJH is Paul Vickers, a former RAF engineer, who left the RAF in 1994 and worked full time until last year, when he fell on hard times and could no longer afford his rent. Following a spell living in bed and breakfast accommodation, he ended up on the streets.

Paul was lucky enough to be offered a space in MJH and making the most of all the support services available to him, he has now managed to get his life back on track.

Paul is on the Residents' Committee and is an integral part of the MJH community. He has built some new shelving in the shared lounge area at the house and has also set up a fishing club and helped create a vegetable plot in the communal garden.

Paul commented:

"Mike Jackson House has made all the difference. It has given me back the self-confidence I lost when I was homeless."

This article is taken from the Spring 2009 edition of Estatement - delivering estate solutions to Defence needs.