A Weapons Systems Officer, who recently left the RAF, is spearheading a pioneering new service in Britain which aims to help disabled ex-service personnel in Scotland navigate their way through the complexities of finding suitable housing to meet their unique needs.
Flight Lieutenant Claire Birch, who was most recently based at RAF Leuchars, from which she trained and operated at NATO level, flying fast jet air defence missions, has been appointed a specialist housing broker with Scottish housing charity Housing Options Scotland (formerly Ownership Options in Scotland).
Her remit is to provide free and independent specialist housing knowledge and peer-to-peer support to current and ex-service personnel, whose disabilities mean they have highly-complex housing needs, assisting them in finding the right home in the tenure and location of their choice.
Prior to the economic downturn, Claire would have concentrated on helping them into home ownership, but now obtaining mortgage finance is very difficult for the general population and even more so for disabled people, who are often in low paid jobs or have an income derived from benefits. The charity is therefore now also providing detailed advice on renting and is strengthening their links with social and private landlords.
Figures from 2010/11 show 130 medical discharges from Scottish regiments alone, but the charity estimates there are many other veterans who may have need for their current or future services, particularly if they relate to mental health issues, such as combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder, which may develop some time after leaving the Services. / continues
“We know from our research both that discharge through disability is on the increase and that ex-service personnel are at greater risk of homelessness, alcoholism and relationship breakdowns than the general population,” said Housing Options Scotland Director, Moira Bayne.
“Feedback from veterans’ organisations indicates that existing housing information and advice has been patchy, with many services relying on volunteers who do not have the necessary knowledge to be of real assistance to such veterans.
“We are also aware that serving and ex-service personnel are reluctant to approach these mainstream organisations for advice for many reasons, but predominantly because they are not generally organised to meet the needs of this unique group of individuals.
“We consulted with a number of service charities, such as Poppy Scotland, Homes 4 Heroes and the Regular Forces Employment Agency, (RFEA,) and agreed that recruiting an ex-service person with direct and personal knowledge and experience of disabled veterans’ particular challenges was the most effective way of providing a service to this group. Lorraine Gillies, Housing Options Scotland Chair said” We are grateful to the Scottish Government for recognising the importance of this issue and providing funding towards this post, therefore making it possible to recruit Claire.”
Claire will build on existing links we have developed with the Scottish Veterans Housing Association, Glasgow’s Helping Heroes, the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency and the Scottish Parliamentary Cross Party Group on Veterans to develop this specialist housing advisory service across Scotland.”
Housing Minister Keith Brown MSP said: “Work to support home ownership, such as this by Claire and Housing Options Scotland, can help our veterans secure suitable housing. The Scottish Government has recently invested an extra £13 million into its shared equity schemes, assisting people who would not otherwise be able to afford to buy their own home.
“These are tough economic times, mortgages are harder to access and house prices are high. Everyone in Scotland should live in a safe, warm affordable home and it is especially right that those who have served this country should have access to this type of support.”
Ian Ballantyne, Chief Executive of Scottish Veterans Housing Association said:
“We were involved in early stage with Housing Options Scotland in advising on the Military Matters post. It is great to see the ideas being put into action and we look forward to working closely with Claire and the rest of the HOS team.” / continues
Claire Birch, who took up her post on 23rd April, will be based in Dundee and she is looking forward to the challenges of her new role.
“We owe so much to those service personnel who are injured in the line of duty, no matter what form that injury takes, be it physical or mental, “ she said.
“By assisting such individuals into supportive, affordable housing, we can repay some of our debt by helping them and their families live more stable and productive lives.”
