Story
According to a feature in a national newspaper, there are at least, if not more than 13,000 homeless ex servicemen and women in the UK. ( https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/least-13000-hero-soldiers-left-11847000). This is unacceptable and a national travesty; many of our veterans are homeless due to illnesses such as PTSD after serving our country, and not through choice.
Over many months I have been reading reports and hearing stories of my fellow service men and women whom, due to circumstances out of their control have ended up in this situation and living on our streets; with no where to turn and no one to turn to. I have thought long and hard about this crisis and what is an excellent solution to this growing problem. Building a community with shipping containers is a cost effective way to give these veterans not only a shelter, but an avenue to reintegrate effectively back into our society, for which they served many years. This would also give them an address and a post code so they can seek out work and benefits while getting themselves back on their feet.
Shipping containers are a cost effective way of making safe temporary accommodation. This idea is nothing new and is something that has recently taken off across America.
I will work closely with the local council to get the estate a recognized road so the homeless ex-servicemen and women living there will have an address from which to seek employment and eventually move into a home of their own, this will give our veterans back an sense of pride and self worth, which they may have lost after leaving service and being unable to cope and reintegrate into civilian life. This will reduce the number of veterans who are forced to live on the streets they protected.
I would hope for a road of the new estate to be adopted by which ever council this community will be placed in so the veterans can use have an address and seek work and a perminant dwelling, and hopefully lower the number of homeless ex soldiers.
My personal story;
My name is Darryl, and I used to be a solider, until I was made ill after a tour of afghanistan. I suffered paralisis on the left side of my body, and was diagonsed with a life changing illness, Multiple Sclerosis. Fortunatly I was only paralysed for 4 months, but will always have my illness. I feel I got off lightly compared to so many service men, some of whom struggle to find a warm dry bed for the night, or even where to find there next meal. For alot of you, a coulple of pound is not a lot, its a cup of coffee, or a pint of what ever your tipple is down the local, but for homeless veterans, it could be the start to building a future."
This venture is 100% non profit, and every penny raised is for the cost of this little community. This is not a perminant dwelling for homeless people, with the hope that after 6 months they will be back in employments and will be able to privately rent accomodation.
