The government has announced £12 million in extended funding for Op Fortitude, the scheme that connects homeless veterans with housing support, after warnings that hundreds of bed spaces for former service personnel could be lost.
What Op Fortitude does
Launched in 2023, Op Fortitude is a dedicated phone line that connects homeless veterans directly to housing services and support, cutting through the usual delays of the wider homelessness system. It has already helped more than 1,000 veterans avoid homelessness since it began.
Why the funding mattered now
The scheme’s funding had been due to run out in March 2026, prompting concern among charities that support veterans at risk of losing their homes. Alabaré, one of the charities delivering the service, warned it faced closing 90 bed spaces without further government backing. Reporting by The Big Issue on the risk of closures is understood to have prompted the government’s response.
Defence Secretary John Healey announced that funding for Op Fortitude would be extended for a further three years, alongside a separate £12 million to build new veteran housing as part of a wider Veterans Strategy. “Our nation owes a duty to those who have served, and this new strategy recognises veterans as one of our greatest assets,” he said.
The scale of the problem
The new funding builds on £8.5 million committed by the previous Conservative government in 2023, plus a further £3.5 million from the current Labour government. The most recent count found 44 veterans sleeping rough in London alone, underlining why campaigners say sustained investment, rather than short-term funding, is needed to end veteran homelessness for good.
What’s next
The additional housing funding is expected to support the creation of new dedicated homes for veterans, adding to a growing number of local schemes — including council-led veteran housing projects launched in areas such as Telford and Wrekin — aimed at giving former service personnel a stable, permanent place to live rather than relying solely on emergency accommodation.
Wider funding streams for veteran homelessness
The Op Fortitude funding isn’t the only pot of money aimed at tackling veteran homelessness. The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust runs a separate Reducing Veteran Homelessness Programme, offering charities, local authorities and social housing providers grants of up to £300,000 for supported housing projects, with an additional £200,000 available for schemes tackling more complex needs (Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust). Funded projects are required to work alongside Op Fortitude, helping ensure the different strands of support are joined up rather than working in isolation.
The national picture
While 44 veterans were recorded sleeping rough in London alone, campaigners say the true national scale is likely far higher. The Royal British Legion estimates that between 3% and 6% of people experiencing homelessness across the UK have an armed forces background (The Big Issue), underlining why sustained, joined-up funding — rather than one-off announcements — remains central to campaigners’ demands.
