Such a shocking state.
I've spent a week (somewhere near 60 hours, and over 100 emails and phone calls) battling to get a Senior NCO (Iraq & Afghan service) leaving the army with diagnosed psychological illness, addiction, and a range of co-morbidities funding so that he doesn't become homeless tonight and can go directly into treatment and supported living with THH on Monday. Op FORTITUDE couldn't/wouldn't support, Op COURAGE and the local authority wouldn't help because he doesn't have an address, he was having difficulty registering with a GP because they need an address, the Defence Transition Service couldn't help......the list was endless. On Wednesday I wrote to the Veterans Minister and Office for Veterans Affairs to ask for their support. I received no reply, so I wrote to them again last night and pointed out that I hadn't received a reply. This morning I received the following: "Dear Mr Chapstick, Thank you for your email of 20 November to the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA). We can confirm that your correspondence was received. Given this policy area falls outside the policy remit of the Minister’s responsibilities, we are currently liaising with other Government Departments to form a response to you. Delivering for our veterans requires a whole of society approach, with Government, Parliament, charities, academia and others working together to ensure we understand the needs of veterans, and ensuring that the right services and support is in place. We are proud that in the UK, all relevant Government Departments share the responsibility to serve our veterans. We will aim to respond within 20 working days. Yours sincerely, The Office for Veterans’ Affairs" This is the week following remembrance when THH has been inundated with referrals by veterans and their families in absolute desperation, taking the waiting list for funding to access support to over 50 very vulnerable veterans. So as the week comes to a close, I'm reminded of this quote: #LeaveNoOneBehind