Housing

Forces in Mind Trust was founded in November 2011 by a £35 million endowment from the National Lottery Community Fund. The Trust works within the military charities sector, and much more widely, to support the United Kingdom’s Armed Forces Community.

To achieve impact for ex-Service personnel transitioning into civilian life and their families, we fund work across six interconnecting outcome areas. This outcome area is Housing: - All veterans and their families are able to access good quality, affordable, secure and sustainable accommodation solutions.

Sustainable change: - All our grants and commissions are intended to generate sustained change that improves the lives of ex-Service personnel and their families. We also recognize that it can be as important to know what does not work as what does, and we do not consider such precious funds wasted. National focus: - We support work that can influence across the UK. We recognise that often it is small, regionally-based initiatives that can produce the most profound and innovative effect, and we will always work with grant and commission holders to develop their plans to ensure that the evidence generated is fully exploited.

The programme has two main workstreams: ‘The Service Community’, understanding the ex-Service Community's housing needs, and the barriers and obstacles to sustainable and suitable accommodation, and ‘Housing Provision’, addressing the factors and functions to enable appropriate accommodation provision.

We fund projects to improve: *Understanding of what information advice and guidance is provided for Service personnel and their families, how it is provided and at what stage. *Understanding of the impact of transition on Service personnel with families who may have particular accommodation needs or vulnerabilities (i.e. bereaved families, breaking families, wounded, injured, and sick ex-Service persons with families, Foreign and Commonwealth ex-Service persons with families, families with caring responsibilities, families transitioning from overseas postings). *Understanding of housing and accommodation needs of single veterans. *Understanding of the causes of homelessness in veterans and the route out. *Understanding of accommodation sustainability vis a vis personal budgeting, financial planning and knowledge of beneficiaries. *Improved partnering practice for effective housing supply solutions.

We welcome applications from various organisations from small not-for-profit groups and charities to larger institutions such as universities.

We will not support the following no matter how worthwhile: *Service delivery unless it is required as part of a broader project where the primary purpose of the project is to support one or more of our four change mechanisms. *Work that does not benefit Service men, women, veterans and their families. *Work that does not have a direct benefit in the UK, but this does not preclude the support for foreign and commonwealth groups that have served in the UK Armed Forces. *Work that is primarily the responsibility of central or local government and statutory providers such as local authorities and Primary Care Trusts, or projects which directly replace statutory funding. *Profit-making organisations, unless the objective is in support of Service men, women, veterans and their families as part of a corporate social responsibility programme. *Grants to individuals – this is a primary role of existing Services charities and benevolent funds. This exclusion includes grants to individuals carrying out research e.g. PhD students. *Organisations whose unrestricted reserves equate to more than one year of operations. *Ongoing costs for a project which is already established. *Retrospective funding. *Churches or other religious bodies where the grant will be used for religious purposes. *General appeals or circulars.