Advice if you might become homeless

You may qualify for housing assistance if you are:

• a former member of the armed forces
• homeless or threatened with homelessness
• meet certain criteria

We must consider whether to provide you with emergency housing using both:

• general rules that apply to all applicants
• special rules that apply to people who were in the armed forces

Before discharge from the armed forces

Contact us if you think you will be homeless after discharge from the services. Show us your letter of discharge or some other evidence that confirms when you will become homeless.

You may need to stay in your accommodation as long as possible and wait for Defence Estates to evict you.

Defence Estates have to give you a Notice to Vacate before they can take you to court to obtain a Possession Order. You can use a Notice to Vacate or Possession Order as evidence in support of your homelessness application.

How we can help

You should be treated as vulnerable and in priority need for accommodation if you can show that your vulnerability is as a result of being a former member of the armed forces. 

When deciding this we may consider:

• how long you were in the armed forces, your role and when you left service
• if you spent any time in a military hospital
• if you were released from service on medical grounds (and have a Medical History Release Form)
• if you had accommodation since leaving service and
• if you obtained accommodation since you left

You may need to provide medical evidence from the Ministry of Defence, including a Medical History Release Form (if you were given one). 

If we decide that you do not meet the criteria, you may seek independent legal advice or help from a specialist agency to make representations on your behalf.

We may not have a duty to offer you accommodation if you are homeless after being discharged on disciplinary grounds. However, we will still help you find accommodation.