Housing Options Scotland is delighted to announce an award of £75,000 over three years from the Veterans’ Foundation to support its Military Matters service.
Military Matters provides specialist housing advice to the entire Armed Forces community in Scotland, including veterans and their families, reservists, serving personnel preparing to leave service accommodation, people leaving the Armed Forces, bereaved family members and ex-partners of service personnel.
The award is the latest grant from the UK foundation formed in 2016 to fund life-changing projects for the Armed Forces community across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In its ten-year history, Veterans’ Foundation has awarded Housing Options Scotland seven grants totalling £239,582.This support has been invaluable in helping to establish the Military Matters housing advice service and supporting it to thrive. Demand for the service has grown significantly since it began in 2013. In 2023/24, Military Matters received 263 new referrals, an increase of 250% compared with 2018/19. The vulnerability of those seeking help is also significant: in 2024/25, 46% of Military Matters clients presented as homeless.
Funding from Veterans’ Foundation combined with funding confirmed earlier this year from the Scottish Veterans Fund has enabled Housing Options Scotland to appoint a dedicated Military Matters Broker, who provides one-to-one support tailored to each person’s circumstances. They remain a single point of contact, guiding clients through the processes involved in securing appropriate housing and advocating for them where needed.
As well as helping to support casework, the funding enables valuable engagement and participation activity to raise awareness of the service and its benefit to members of the Armed Forces community in Scotland.
Moira Bayne, CEO, Housing Options Scotland, said: “The support we’ve received from Veterans’ Foundation in the past ten years has been nothing short of transformational, and we are hugely grateful for this latest award of £75,000 over the next three years. It will allow us to provide vital one-to-one support to individuals who are struggling to navigate our housing system and to make decisions that help them and their families to continue on a positive path.”
Jane Gurney, CEO, Veterans’ Foundation said: “Having a safe and suitable place to call home is about so much more than having a roof over your head. For veterans and their families, the right housing is key to providing stability and building confidence. We’re delighted our grant funding is helping Housing Options Scotland and its Military Matters service provide this vital, specialist support for veterans and their families. Their personal and practical approach recognises that every veteran’s circumstances are different, and that housing is often connected to wider issues such as health, family, finances and employment. We’re delighted to support their work and to help veterans and their families find a secure place to call home.”
Image credit: Guy Cartwright, Trustee, Veterans’ Foundation, Martin Nadin OBE and CEO Scottish Veterans Residences, Sally Stimson, Military Matters Housing Options Broker, Housing Options Scotland, Leon Fisher, Chief Operating Officer, Vector24 and veteran RAF Chinook pilot, Susie Hamilton, Scottish Veterans Commissioner. Moira Bayne, Chief Executive Officer, Housing Options Scotland. Photographer: Ian Georgeson.