Not often, but every-so-often subjects are broached and the country unifies in their opinion and it is such that the powers that be have to act accordingly. The problem is, is that it happens so rarely that the people to blame get away with it more often than is actually acknowledged!
The Moratorium is here to air those topics and the first one starts with one that is close to my heart and one that is a hot topic at the moment for kinds of reasons. The Armed Forces! Now it’s not them that is taboo, but aspects of how they are treated, so I think that the treatment of Veterans should be the key point of topic, as they appear to have disappeared from the lives of so many until a scandal hits the headlines and then it’s all up for a week, or two then it disappears from the eyes of the public once more.
Most people know that many of the homeless in London are veterans and as many as 70% of the males that are homeless in London are Vets, or have served in one of the forces. On leaving the forces they either fall by the wayside, or don’t know where to look for help, or even who to ask when they need direction, as many doors are shut when leaving.
The “Us” and “Them” attitude extends further than most people understand, as the mannerisms are very loyal and willing, so when all those realities are shattered on the “outside” it becomes a stigma to trust people, or even comprehend why civilians have little trust and camaraderie amongst themselves. Most of the problems stem from the fact you cannot untrained the trained! It’s that which plays the biggest factor in military veterans becoming a forgotten statistic and considered a nuisance at best.
When you’re representing the country for what it stands for and you get shot at, spat on and are alone in a strange place, the only difference from serving and being homeless is location! I have seen people urinate on people as they sleep in any space they can find and then the same people who do it run off when the victim wakes up! Granted, no person should be submitted to that regardless. This doesn’t detract from the fact that the veteran paid their taxes, accommodation and council tax like any other worker and is left fend without preparation after their service has ended.
There are funds, which people know as charities, that all military people pay into whilst serving. However, trying to get help from them when times are hard is like getting a piggyback ride from a Hippopotamus… Highly unlikely! I know that those that work in the likes of Royal British Legion (RBL), Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA), Benevolent Fund AND whichever service charity is relevant will all have their side of the story to put across, but the stats speak for themselves and the money is still in their accounts whilst Vets are still on the street!
So why are there so many Vets on the streets and not being tended to? The answer is simple! Even more simple than it is to explain. The people that were once security cleared, numbered, monitored and trusted to die for their country get lost in the outside world and the outside system! Once a person comes out of the military, their rights change and they become a different number. No ID and uniform to show who they are, they are swallowed up and left to fend in civilian life.
Many of the Vets that turn to crime are not delinquents, but people who have no focus and are frustrated. They want to be somewhere where they can work, be appreciated and not have to worry where they will be sleeping come night time. A simple thing that eludes many of them and they are considered a profile for police and hostels to look out for. Sadly it’s not to guide them in the right direction, as many of the Veterans do not make it to an ex-military hostel for appropriate help.
The current government put out an announcement for a Covenant for Armed personnel, Veterans and their family, which may take around 2 years to be finalised, let alone implemented. In the time it takes to get that to any kind of working mandate, it may take as long as 10 years. And I wish it was an exaggeration. The amount that will be homeless, dead, or imprisoned after service between now and then will not make for good statistics.
On the fallout of the News Of The World scandal, many service families will be put through the trauma of going through losing their loved ones all over again and many of those families have more than one family member serving; so that will be something that will take its toll in the homeless stakes as many serving/veteran siblings go off the rails and end up being a statistic with all the other homeless. It is considered the tour of duty that no medal is awarded for and none will be relevant for the type of conflicts that are endured.
