Work begins on new centre for Armed Forces veterans at risk of homelessness

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Housing

Construction work has begun on a pioneering training and housing centre at Catterick, North Yorkshire, for veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts at risk of being left homeless.

The 31-unit purpose-built centre, known as The Beacon, has been designed by Lancashire-based architecture and urban design practice Croft Goode Architects.

It will be run by ECHG (English Churches Housing Group) Housing and Support, who have worked with over 6,000 men and women from the Armed Forces since it first established its partnership with the MOD ten years ago.

This new centre will help single ex-Service personnel at risk of being left homeless, and is just one of the many projects and initiatives being developed to help provide first class services to ex-servicemen and women.

At the centre veterans can expect to be provided with temporary accommodation for up to 18 months, access to top of the range IT equipment and on-site training facilities, as well as a service to help guide residents into employment and permanent housing.

In a further innovative step, as part of its construction, The Beacon will offer ECHG clients the opportunity to work on the building site to gain valuable construction training skills for future employment.

Speaking at a special turf-cutting ceremony for the new centre, Veterans Minister Kevan Jones, said: “Only a small minority of our people experience difficulties when they leave the Armed Forces, but it is vital they are given the support they need and deserve.

“The Beacon will provide real and tailored help to those who are at risk of homelessness and will help them transition from Service life to the civilian world. The project's success shows a genuine partnership across Government and with the housing association English Churches Housing Group.'

ECHG's managing director, Derek Caren, said: “The Beacon's services will be worthy of the veterans it will work with and will focus on making sure they make a successful leap back into civilian life once they leave the Armed Forces.”

Importantly, The Beacon will reinforce a growing network of existing ECHG centres, including Mike Jackson House in Hampshire and an established, smaller centre, The Galleries, in Richmond, North Yorkshire.

Michael Duerden, who saw active duty as part of his service with the RAF, and who subsequently found himself homeless through difficulties in his personal life, said: "After leaving the Services I reached rock bottom in my life. It was only through the expertise of ECHG's Galleries project with its superb staff and accommodation that helped turn my life around, through guidance and a place to live."

With ECHG's help, Michael is now re-establishing links with his family and is focused on seeking employment and securing a flat of his own.

The Beacon is the result of a successful partnership with a range of other national and regional agencies: the Homes and Communities Agency, who will be providing capital funding; the Church Housing Trust, who will be raising charitable funds to furnish the centre; Communities and Local Government; Richmondshire District Council; and North Yorkshire County Council.

As a complement to the development, ECHG will also be capitalising on the land released by the MOD at the site in Catterick to build a separate development of twelve affordable family homes for rent, adjacent to the new centre.