It has been estimated by charities that as many as 5000 Scottish veterans are homeless, with a large percentage of these in Glasgow.

 

Official statistics from the Scottish Government show that almost 1,000 ex-service personnel made homelessness applications with councils across the country last year and a further 1,100 the year before.

Former Royal Marine Commando Ian Hopkins runs the Coming Home Centre for homeless veterans, which was founded in 2010.

They currently support 70 men and women but he estimates that hundreds have been helped by his team of volunteers.

Mr Hopkins will open a permanent centre at the Pearce Institute in Govan next week so that the charity can meet demand.

He said: "Glasgow has always drawn very highly into the armed forces and many veterans don't really know how to access services when they come out.

"Initially we were going to offer a drop in centre at churches but when we opened the doors what came through wasn't expected.

"We thought we'd mostly get young guys just out of the armed forces. We also got men in their 40s and 50s who had served 20 or 30 years ago and who were starting to suffer from symptoms of PTSD and depression.

"PTSD tends to be something that kicks in later on in life. It associates itself with a problem so, when something goes pear shaped in your life, you start thinking about your experiences. You start getting nightmares and flashbacks so you might drink more or take drugs.

"A lot of the guys that came through the doors had alcohol issues, some had drug issues. Some of them were homeless, some were living in hovels.

"The work level went up pretty dramatically because there was a need that wasn't being addressed."

Mr Hopkins said many of the veterans will "socially exclude themselves" rather than seek help.

"Some of the guys lock themselves in houses. They're not working, they're not signing on, they don't open mail, and they end up getting kicked out because they're not paying their rent. That tends to lead to a lot of homelessness issues."

Tailored support is offered to a small number of veterans at Bellrock Close in Glasgow's east end.

The £6.7m housing development was opened last year by the charity Scottish Veteran Residences (SVR).

Former social worker Eddy Gorman oversees 51 housing units at the complex and his team try to help former soldiers adapt to civilian life.

He said: "Veterans have quite a lot of barriers to housing. We're dealing with people with PTSD, metal health problems and drug and alcohol problems. We only discover the damage when we get to know them.

"Many of them have been accommodated in MOD (Ministry of Defence) properties and when the time comes to leave the armed forces they don't have an investment in a property or any collateral.

"Whatever money they leave with often doesn't last long so eventually they're looking at putting in a housing application. They might have no points or very little connection to a local area so they are seen as low priority.

"We've had veterans who have, quite literally, been sleeping in the woods."

Mr Gorman said many of his service users have struggled to find work since leaving the armed forces.

"Veterans have many barriers to employment," he said. "For a lot of them, the bottom line is that employers aren't really interested if you've got a drug or alcohol problem or if you've been in prison.

"Remember that we train these people to be fighters so it's not uncommon for them to have a bit of drinking or a bit of fighting on their record.

"We can't be naive about this. Employers have to reinvent themselves and realise that they're a big party of the social fabric. If we've got a population permanently barred from employment we're not going to have betterment throughout society.

"Employment is the one route out of poverty for most people."

Read: Many more 'hidden' homeless veterans, commissioner warns