Labour to deliver long-term security for veterans, young care leavers and domestic abuse victims with new social housing plans

Armed Forces veterans, young care leavers and domestic abuse victims will be able to apply for social housing in any local authority in the UK, for life, as part of a push to strengthen support for those who have served, and those most vulnerable - announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer today (Tuesday) at the Party's first Conference in government in 15 years.

Armed forces personnel often spend years posted across the country or overseas, which can dislocate them from family and friends. Current rules allow veterans an exemption from local connection tests for five years after leaving the armed forces, but over 80 per cent of homeless veterans referred for housing support left the forces more than five years ago. These rules unfairly punish the veterans who have served our country and kept us safe, putting those most in need at risk of homelessness. Domestic abuse victims and care leavers often must leave their local area for their own safety or to receive suitable support and do not have a local connection to the place where they would best be able build a safe and stable life. Labour's plans will ensure security for veterans, domestic abuse victims and young care leavers is secured for the long term. 

This new pledge is underpinned by Labour's plan to take tough decisions to reform the planning system, build 1.5 million homes and deliver the biggest wave of social and affordable housing in a generation.

Announcing the new measure in his speech to Labour Party Conference today, the Prime Minister said Labour's commitment to renewing the nation's contract with those who served means security for our veterans giving a home to our heroes:

“There is another injustice hiding in plain sight on our streets. In every town and city in this country. People who were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, who put their lives on the line to protect us all, but who will not have a safe place to sleep tonight. 

“We cannot stand by and let this happen anymore. And so today, I can announce that this government will respect that service. We will repay those who served us and house all veterans in housing need. Homes will be there for heroes. 

The new measures will also prioritise vulnerable groups such as care leavers and domestic abuse victims, who are often unfairly affected by the requirements to prove a local connection. Addressing Labour Conference, the Prime Minister said the sweeping planning reforms already driven through by this government means we can deliver security for vulnerable people in our society:

“Because we have started the hard yards of planning reform, because we are facing up to decisions ignored for years, and because we are introducing new planning passports that will turbo-charge housebuilding in our inner cities, we can make the very same guarantee for other people at risk of homelessness.

“Young care leavers, victims of domestic abuse. They will have the security they deserve. They will have a guaranteed roof over their head. Because Britain belongs to them.”

Today, the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, has written to local councils telling them to prioritise veterans for life and support vulnerable groups through their social housing allocation. Regulatory changes will be brought forward as a priority when parliamentary time allows. The Labour government has already given councils more flexibility to use their Right to Buy receipts to build and buy more social homes and allocated an additional £450 million for councils to secure homes for families at risk of homelessness. 

The moves are another step in Labour's bold plans to not only build the housing our country needs, but boost social and affordable housing and ensure those who need it can access it. The announcement also comes after the Prime Minister pledged to turbocharge housebuilding in urban areas through new ‘planning passports' in a brown-field first approach that says ‘yes not no' to building homes across the country.

Ends.

Notes to editors

• Homelessness among armed forces veterans increased by nearly a quarter (24%) over the last Parliament.
• Veterans often don't present with their needs until quite some time after they have been discharged. According to the Office for Veterans' Affairs only 17.4% of referrals made to Op FORTITUDE, a dedicated referral pathway for homeless veterans, had served less than 5 years ago, meaning the current 5 year exemption to local connection and residency tests can act as a barrier for majority of the cohort.
• Former veterans' affairs minister, Johnny Mercer, said that if former soldiers were still homeless by the end of 2023, he would “want to know why… [as] we've gone out, secured the money, designed the programmes … I've worked hard on this”
• Whilst not mandatory, the vast majority of councils (89%) have a local connection or residency test in place to determine who can qualify for social housing. These changes will mean that where such requirements are in place, veterans are not unfairly penalised.
• Other groups who can have difficulty demonstrating a local connection - care leavers and domestic abuse victims - will also be exempt from the rule. This delivers on the commitment in the response to the consultation on social housing allocations, published earlier this month, to support the most vulnerable to access social housing
• The Housing Minister, Matthew Pennycook, the Minister for Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Philips, and Veterans Minister, Alistair Carns, will meet with providers and NGOs in the sector to ensure government fully understands the unique needs of these cohorts, such as intermediate rents or supported housing, when developing future policy.



Endorsements

James Needham, CEO, Help For Heroes, said:

"We are pleased that the UK Government has recognised, and acted on, the need for the UK's veteran population to have more flexible access to secure social housing.

"We know that many of the UK's veterans struggle to make the transition back to civilian life after their service is over. Increased levels of homelessness is just one of the ways in which these struggles manifest; particularly among those who join and leave at a young age.

"While this is a positive step, we must all be mindful that homelessness is rarely an issue that occurs in isolation, and we look forward to continuing to work with the UK Government to understand, and implement, the changes required to help all veterans and their families live well after service.”

Royal British Legion

“The Royal British Legion welcomes the Prime Minister's announcement to remove the local connection test for veterans who are applying to access social housing. Mobility is a requirement of military service with postings around the country and overseas, and the local connection test can therefore disadvantage ex-service personnel facing long waits for social housing due to a lack of stock. We hope this change will provide greater opportunities for our Armed Forces personnel to secure social housing throughout the country, and ensure veterans have the best chance to establish themselves within a community at the end of their service.”

Farah Nazeer, CEO, Women's Aid

"We welcome today's announcement that would exempt domestic abuse survivors from the local connection test. We welcome early recognition from the new Government, that domestic abuse by its very nature, is inextricably linked with housing. We see firsthand the devastating cost of the housing crisis on survivors, who are often forced to ‘choose' between homelessness and housing insecurity or risking their safety by remaining with a perpetrator. Women and children fleeing to new local authorities to find safety are highly vulnerable to exclusion in areas which prioritise ‘local need'. Women's Aid and the survivors we support had been waiting for Government to respond to their consultation on local connection for a number of years, and this decisive action will make a real difference to them. As ever, for this new measure to have the intended impact for survivors – its implementation will require scrutiny and robust oversight."

Katherine Sacks-Jones, CEO of Become (Care Leavers):

“Young people leaving care face a care cliff where important support and relationships disappear and they are expected to become independent overnight. It's a scandal that 1 in 3 will face homelessness. Today's announcement is a welcome step in addressing this and ensuring that young people leaving care have somewhere safe to live in an area that's right for them.”