Resources for ex-service personnel

Lest We Forget - Crisis

• Crisis commissioned a report Lest We Forget into ex-service personnel and homelessness. It was published in 2000 and comprises 5 chapters.

Chapter 1 explores earlier research on ex-servicemen and homelessness. It sets out the main findings from those studies, examines the key characteristics of ex-servicemen who become homeless, their routes into homelessness and it assesses the implications for preventing and reducing homelessness.

Chapter 2 investigates pre-discharge services to identify how they might help prevent homelessness among ex-servicemen. It sets out the range and scope of services before discharge, identifies gaps in service provision before looking briefly at funding and expenditure.

Chapter 3 examines post-discharge services to see how they might help reduce the likelihood of homelessness after discharge and reduce the numbers of ex-servicemen who are currently homeless. It sets out the range and scope of post-discharge services, identifies gaps in those services and looks at expenditure and performance monitoring. It also explores some possible lessons from the United States.

Chapter 4 looks at desired improvements in tackling homelessness among ex-servicemen. It sets out the improvements that are preferred by agencies and organisations working in the field, identifies possible barriers to making such improvements happen and sets out responsibilities for their implementation.

Finally, chapter 5 identifies areas of emerging consensus for action to prevent and reduce homelessness. It sets out recommendations to stem the flow of ex-servicemen into homelessness by reducing both the likelihood of them becoming homeless for years after discharge and also the numbers who are currently homeless.

• Download Lest We Forget as a PDF

Military History - Lemos&Crane

• In 2005, Lemos&Crane published Military History, a comprehensive report into the experiences of military personnel who are homeless.

Part One looks at ex-service people’s experiences of life in the armed forces. It begins with profiles of four of the ex-services respondents (chapter 1), and goes on to describe their experiences prior to joining the armed forces, including reasons for joining (chapter 2), and positive and negative experiences of life in the armed forces (chapter 3).

Chapter 4 describes experiences of leaving the armed forces. Chapter 5 considers the experiences and effects of alcohol problems, mental health problems (particularly post-traumatic stress disorder), and relationship breakdown. Respondents’ experiences of coping and surviving on the streets are set out in chapter 6.

Chapter 7 looks at ex-services respondents’ experiences and perceptions of services, focusing on their journey from homelessness to resettlement. The second part of the report sets out findings and conclusions. Chapter 8 draws out findings from this study and chapter 9 compares our findings with previous studies. Chapter 10 describes the services currently available for homeless people with a background in the armed forces. The final chapter, chapter 11, looks more generally at the way forward. Each chapter ends with a summary and the findings as a whole are set out in chapter 8.

• Download Military History as a PDF.