Veterans given £1.7m lifeline as Mayor backs our hostel appeal

One of the charities at the heart of the Evening Standard’s Homeless Veterans appeal today received a major cash boost.

Mayor Boris Johnson announced he will give £1.7 million to help transform the east London hostel run by Veterans Aid, which is undergoing major refurbishment.

It comes after the Standard highlighted the work that New Belvedere House is doing to transform the lives of former service personnel who have fallen on hard times. The new cash means the renovations will take a leap forward.

It adds to the £1.3 million the Homeless Veterans appeal has already raised for two charities — Veterans Aid and ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. During that fundraising drive, Mr Johnson spent a night sleeping rough to highlight homelessness.

He said: “The outstanding support offered at Belvedere is already making a tremendous difference and this new funding will enable it to help hundreds more homeless veterans in years to come. The hostel is set to be transformed into a world-class facility that helps our ex-service people out of hard times with the training and counselling they need to get back on the path to independent living.”

The first phase of work is under way. The Old Rectory, a Victorian building used as a “move on” house for veterans leaving the main hostel, is being gutted and refurbished. The building in Limehouse hosts people who have worked through their problems and are almost ready to live independently. It has self-contained flats with their own kitchens and bathrooms.

It has been rewired and reconfigured, so the number of veterans who can live there can rise from 11 to 13. There are new lights linked to movement sensors and taps that turn off automatically if accidentally left on.

Soundproofing has been added to walls and floors, to create an environment more conducive to sleep, study and recovery from mental health issues. All the furniture — some of which was 30 years old — is being replaced with modern beds, storage units, desks, tables and wardrobes. Dennis Murphy, deputy manager of New Belvedere House, said: “You can feel the energy. The guys are already starting to jockey for position asking if they can be the first to move in.”

Finance data company Bloomberg and development charity Habitat for Humanity have provided volunteers to help with building work, saving about £220,000 on labour. More than 1,200 Bloomberg staff are spending part of the working week at the site.

Mr Murphy said: “For every tradesman there are two or three volunteers mixing things and carrying things.” Daniel Johnson, a team leader in derivatives from Surrey, said he had removed insulation from the loft and painted doorframes: “It is an opportunity to be part of something huge.

“These are veterans who otherwise may not have had a roof over their head, and it is nice that we can provide them with this environment.”

Software developer Avi Silver, from Hertfordshire, added: “I had family in the British forces in the world wars. I don’t think the Government looks after them as well as they could when they finish. It definitely appealed to me for personal reasons.”

Retailers including B&Q and Howdens have offered discounts on materials. The project is due to be finished by 2017. A glass entrance hall will be built in the main hostel, plus counselling rooms, a gym, computer room and training kitchen where veterans can learn cooking skills. In total it will house up to 63 homeless veterans.

Dr Hugh Milroy, chief executive of Veterans Aid, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding from the Mayor and City Hall. It couldn’t have come at a better time. The £7 million refurbishment is the largest investment in our 83-year history and we’re still over £1 million short of our target.

“More than 800 lives have been transformed since the hostel opened in 1973. It has been commended for a success rate that exceeds all counterparts in breaking the cycles of dependency that prevent veterans in crisis from leading rewarding and sustainable lives. However, without significant investment it would have had to close in around five years time. Our success in financing this project owes much to the Evening Standard Homeless Veterans Campaign.”

Jemma Read, Bloomberg’s head of philanthropy in Europe, said: “Giving back to communities is a key part of our culture and we are delighted that over a third of our London staff will have the opportunity to support this project.”@_annadavis