In November 2016, the Ministry of Defence announced £2 million of funding for a one-stop service to support British Armed Forces veterans in need. The new service, called Veterans’ Gateway, will launch in the week beginning 22 May 2017.

Veterans’ Gateway has been created to make it easier to navigate the large number of organisations that already exist to support those who have served in the forces.

The service will be the first point of contact for veterans and their families to access information, advice and support on a range of issues including healthcare, housing, and employment. It will allow services from organisations to be accessed from one place.

Veteran’s Gateway will have a website as well as online chat, phone and text message services available to any veteran, from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. Veterans can access face-to-face support through the Veterans’ Gateway network of partners across the UK and overseas.

More than 2,000 charitable groups currently offer help to veterans. By having a first point of contact, the Veterans’ Gateway team will be able to quickly work out which of the partners is best placed to help with the information, advice and support required.

A consortium of military charities including The Royal British Legion, Poppyscotland, SSAFA and Combat Stress are creating Veterans’ Gateway.

Service provider Connect Assist will manage the contact centre, staffed by skilled advisers, who will hopefully be veterans or people with experience of Service life.

A wider group of 26 partners from military and other charity sectors have currently signed up to be a part of Veterans’ Gateway and further partners will continue to be recruited after Veterans’ Gateway launches:

• The Royal British Legion
• Poppyscotland
• Royal British Legion Industries
• Poppy Factory
• Help for Heroes                                                 
• Veterans UK
• RFEA – The Forces Employment Charity
• Blesma – the Limbless Veterans Charity         
• SSAFA
• Blind Veterans UK                                            
• Combat Stress
• X-Forces                                                           
• Forces Pension Society
• Walking with the Wounded
• Officers’ Association
• Stoll                                                                   
• Shelter
• Career Transition Partnership
• Family Fund
• Mind                                                                  
• Relate                                                                
• SAIL                                                                  
• Tax Help for Older People