How does West London Mission help Veterans?
West London Mission has been working to enable change for people in challenging circumstances since 1887. WLM is part of the Methodist Church but “offer support to people of all faiths and none, inclusively.”
WLM’s main focus is on offering transformative care and support to people affected by homelessness, poverty and trauma. West London Mission operates a number of homes that are made available for homeless people in order to help them find their feet.
The charity also offers Veterans and any other homeless people the opportunity to receive counselling on a variety of issues from financial and mental wellbeing to even providing basic IT training.
Some 154,000 women are estimated to be eligible for support from the association. One in five former service people aged 55-64 has no formal qualifications.
One Veteran who has been helped by West London Mission tells her story: “At age 20, I had a nervous breakdown due to the pressures of Army life. “I’m very unfortunate as I get older – my children are grown up and I have grandchildren, but I’ve been carrying an injury. An MRI scan showed damage to a spinal disc which was protruding into my body, causing bladder control issues and others.
“I don’t have any pension or back-up. I’m now restarting my life, and as I’ve turned 60, I’m trying to find accommodation. Up until the beginning of October, I was threatened with homelessness. I have since been provided with permanent accommodation. My universal credit recently just suddenly stopped. If I hadn’t been away on a veterans’ trip away just beforehand, which offered me an escape and a break, I honestly don’t know how I’d have been able to cope.”
How has Veterans’ Foundation supported West London Mission?
Veterans’ Foundation provided West London Mission with a grant of £30K over 3 years. This grant has helped more than 50 veterans reintegrate into civilian life and find accommodation.
The grant also helped with important facility refurbishments and was used to ensure that the charity’s staff were trained to the highest standard.