A former Bridgwater soldier who found himself homeless in 2023 has since turned his life around and set up an online support group to help other veterans facing similar struggles.
From homelessness to a fresh start
Chris Brandes, who served in the Royal Logistics Corps, became homeless after a relationship broke down and ended up in sheltered accommodation in Taunton, run by the local homeless charity Arc. While there, he got sober, had therapy and began volunteering — steps he says were the turning point.
“Finding myself from that position, from going to the streets to having a place with a roof over my head, it made me want to change… I really wanted to change myself,” he said.
Brandes described leaving the armed forces as one of the hardest adjustments of his life. “It’s a completely different life,” he said. “[Veterans] go through things that other people wouldn’t understand and mental health can be affected really badly.”
Volunteering, education and a new home
Determined to rebuild, Brandes volunteered at a charity shop six days a week “just to get out there” and pushed himself to complete evening classes, eventually earning 13 qualifications. In 2024 he was offered a flat in Chard — a town he had never lived in before, but one he welcomed as the chance for a “fresh start.”
Setting up a support network for fellow veterans
Brandes had long wanted to create a space where veterans could support one another, and that ambition became UKVeteran75/Support, an online community for the ex-forces community.
What began as a small Facebook chat group quickly grew into something more. “Within a month it went from a chat group on Facebook to a veterans’ breakfast club which now, two years and one month later, is still running,” he said.
The breakfast club has become a regular fixture for veterans of all ages. “It gave a space for other veterans to meet up and have breakfast and that camaraderie is there,” Brandes said. “I’ve got a lovely group that come down and the oldest gentleman veteran I’ve got there is 90.”
For Brandes, the value lies in veterans supporting each other through shared experience, particularly around mental health. “It means a lot to me,” he said.
Part of a growing national movement
Brandes’ breakfast club is part of a much larger trend. Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Clubs (AFVBC), a UK-wide “by veterans, for veterans” network, now has groups running across all 12 regions of the UK, as well as clubs internationally. Every session is free to attend, and while most are built around simple, informal meet-ups, some have grown to offer wider welfare support, from transport to signposting veterans towards further help.
Why peer support matters
Brandes’ story reflects a wider issue facing the veteran community. The Royal British Legion estimates that between 3% and 6% of people experiencing homelessness in the UK have an armed forces background, and government figures have previously found similar proportions among people sleeping rough. Peer-led groups like UKVeteran75/Support are increasingly recognised as a valuable source of support, offering veterans a sense of camaraderie and understanding that can be harder to find elsewhere.
