This is a copy of the letter I sent the Colonel and Chief of The Royal Green Jackets (Her Majesty the Queen). As you will see by the date I sent this letter a year ago and I got a reply. The issue on Homelessness amongst ex-forces personnel is being asked in the House of Commons all the time, but still they fail to address its discrimination towards our Armed Forces. The Royal Green Jackets are now the Rifles.
Regards
Hitback
Mr Nicholas Cxxxxx
16 Oxxxxx Dxxxxe Cxxxxxxs
Sxxxx
Bxxxxxxx
Sxxx 5xx
13 March 2006
Your Majesty
I am Colour Sergeant Nicholas Cxxxxxx of the 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets. At this present moment in time, I am off work on long term sick with a spinal injury. I am having a second operation in the near future to hopefully correct the disability and pain I’m suffering.
I followed my father into the Armed Forces, in fact the very same regiment. He completed his 22 years and I am only months away from completing mine. As a service family member, I have never called anywhere home, moving from place to place every two to three years.
I believe it is very important to keep my chain of command up to date with current issues which affect the smooth running of the military and their families’ lives. As your Majesty is the Colonel of Chief of the Royal Green Jackets, I thought it was my duty to inform you of the following issue.
The current Homelessness Legislation is being used against serving members and their families when they are looking to settle down in an area in which they have lived, but have no other family roots in the area, this is known as Local Connection. Local Councils and Housing Associations are able to place on their allocations policy the fact that military personnel and their families will not be given local connection to an area no matter how long they have lived there, unless they can prove they have a local connection to that area via family roots.
They are able to place this criterion into their allocations policy as the homelessness legislation also states this fact. I feel this criterion is offensive and discriminative to Her Majesty’s Forces. All military personnel and their families should be treated better by the government and also the homelessness legislation. I have placed a copy of the Homelessness Legislation and the Special Bulletin 2002 directly beneath this sentence.
Ex- Service Personnel 15.10 Under s.199(2) and (3), serving members of the armed forces, and other persons who normally live with them as part of their household, do not establish a local connection with a district by virtue of serving, or having served there while in the forces.
Homelessness Armed Forces
Act 2002 Special Bulletin Appendix 4, Page 135 Para 8.20 to 8.24.
The reason Act 2002 special bulletin will never work is due to the fact that whilst the housing association has to take into consideration the vulnerability of the applicant, they do not have to act on it.
At this present time all ex-service personnel who are rough sleeping in the United Kingdom are helped solely by charity organisations, the other fact is that if they don’t come from the area where they are homeless at, they will only be able to stay in sheltered accommodation for three days before being told to leave. All charities that assist ex-service personnel are trying to cure a governmental issue which should be prevented before armed forces personnel leave.
All members of the armed forces are taught to plan for future events, time appreciation. When it becomes necessary to require social housing, forward planning is not possible.
It should be in the interest of both the housing associations and the individual that permanent arrangements are in place as soon as possible. However two very important facts prevent this from ever coming to fruition.
Firstly, on your service tenancy running its full course, the family that is still in the military property will receive a county court judgement (CCJ). This will be held against that family’s name in the future.
Secondly, Housing Associations will not start to process your needs for housing until you have only 28 days remaining on your service tenancy. We are the only social group that can give the time, date and month of eviction from our dwellings. The real suffering that military families are made to endure due to the current system is a disgrace. The government and certain housing associations need to change to a fairer system of allocation.
The only way forward is for the government to change the system; this I feel, will prevent County Councils or Housing Associations from treating Armed Forces Personnel with such disdain. As the current Prime Minister once said, “We are in a changing world,†I believe he is correct in saying that however, the current system of local connection points for Armed Forces Personnel and their families stays the same. I have written several letters to the Prime Minister and have also been to 10 Downing Street to hand over a large file of evidence to prove how the current legislation affects military personnel and their families. The armed forces has set up outstanding pre-release courses, however these courses are near on useless if the trainee is unable to get housed.
I understand that the Royal Family are not permitted to get involved with the politics of running the country. This issue is about the mistreatment of your armed forces and their families, to that end I would be very grateful if this issue could be brought to the attention of the House of Lords.
Your ever obedient servant
Mr Nicholas Cxxxxxx
Colour Sergeant
1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets
P.S Would you like to see the reply from Buckingham Palace?
Once the Petition has gone over 3000 signatures I will place it on here. Don't forget to email your MP's asking them to sign EDM 288. Tell others about this thread and get them involved as well.
Hitback