‘Forces Afloat’ is established to deliver training and wellbeing support for ex-servicemen, women and families.

Our Aims:

- to develop new skills for work and employment opportunities.

Clients will be encouraged to get involved in the re-build and recycle process, where feasible and relevant, to develop existing and create new skills. Many leaving the forces have training in trade skills (and more) but they can find it difficult to deploy these directly into the current job market.

- to support re-integration and rehabilitation.

It is not simply a matter of having a job and a home. We recognise that self-esteem, self-confidence and personal value are critical to both reintegration into society and with individual personal development,

- to create a pool of flexible and cost effective homes.

Houseboats and barges are free from much of the red tape and expense that surrounds and stifles house building.

How you can help?

Every penny matters. We re-cycle and re-purpose. Each and every penny will be spent ethically and in the pusuance of our aims.

Social Impact

The service offers solutions not currently provided within the current market place and thus acts as supplementary to current solutions.

The service provides variable and flexible options for the estimated 9000 ex-services personnel currently living on the streets.

It provides homes within 3-4 months that can be recycled within the target community as demand fluctuates without the need for estate agent fees, selling costs, relocation issues and such like.

The service offers potential short term work and longer term job/skills development thus improving employment opportunities by including the client in the end-to-end process.

The service can utilise current skills gained within the forces and develop these for the general market place by providing the opportunity for work in niche areas.

The service can offer personal coaching, training and mentoring thus providing for ongoing individual/personal rehabilitation and re-integration.

The process is client-engaging and so it can also provide the opportunity for 'work with a purpose’.

There is already an established ‘waterways’ community in addition to the respective local communities. This offers flexibility and choice to the client as which community and locality serves them best.

It creates a team of experts locally and nationally thus developing team/community working as well as individual skills and value within each locational community.

The operation of hubs within local community means that local services are utilised enabling the development of longer term personal (and professional/expert) relationships.

The service uses the currently hugely under-utilised canal system of the UK and, for example, keeps some cars off the roads.

The service eliminates the use of green/brown belt land, currently under pressure from local and national authorities for the building of ‘starter’ homes.

Houseboats are massively ‘green’ by comparison to most brick-built homes as the use of solar panels, wood burning stoves, optimal water services and electric engines are commonplace within the waterways communities.

Upcycling and recycling are also commonplace within the houseboat community thus keeping upgrade costs down as well reducing the costs and impact of waste/materials management, tipping and industrial recycling.