ExMoDUK is a non-profit organization created to assist ex-service personnel (people who have proudly served in Her Majesty's Armed Forces), who may be experiencing housing difficulties; in other words, be threatened with homelessness.
It has been set-up primarily because we know of only one ex-forces organization that can actually help you today if you call them or arrive on their 'doorstep' homeless. We naturally feel there should be a lot more places like this.
In a nutshell - what this means is, we have to lobby parliament in order to change the existing law and once changed, we need to empower homeless ex-service personnel to ensure local housing authorities enforce this entitlement. Finally we need to campaign for funds so that we may build new flats or houses; homes in other words, for those who have served this country.
Regarding changing the law, please be advised this isn't nearly as daunting as it may first seem. In fact a law specifically related to homelessness - that affects our ex-service community, was amended this very year because people; just like you, lobbied their respective Member of Parliament (MP).
That is why we at ExMoDUK strongly believe - with your help; which simply means writing to your MP to tell him or her that he or she must do more for our community, we can make terrific strides to ensure that (in future) wherever a homeless ex-service person may live - or wish to settle (within the United Kingdom), the respective local housing authority must provide assistance.
Finally, as 'food for thought' we'll leave you with a few interesting facts we hope will spur you on to action today, as we appreciate your valued time raising this issue with your MP will almost certainly benefit all ex-service personnel who are either homeless, or living under the threat of homelessness.
- This past year The Royal British Legion reported almost 1,500 members of our community; homeless ex-soldiers, seamen or air force men and women - have contacted them for help, and in London alone they estimated that around 2,500 people; who used to be in the services, are currently homeless.
- In March, 2008 a BBC News investigation reported more than 2,400 homes leased by the military have been vacant for more than 12 months. Amazingly one of those homes; paid for by the Ministry of Defence, was a family house in Hertfordshire that had stood empty for more than 11 years.
- A massive 'golden goodbye' pay-off, which ran to more than £1million to former Northern Rock boss Adam Applegarth, who incidentally oversaw the disastrous 'run' on his company's bank; the first such catastrophe for over a century in British banking history which, included a whopping multi-billion pound loss and saw the business he left behind being propped up by £26billion (that's 26 followed by 9-zeros) of taxpayers' money with a further £20billion of guarantees to its savers, 'could' have been used instead - to repair 39 to 587 homes for ex-service personnel to occupy, in any one of 26 local housing authorities across the country.
Please help us and write to your MP today. Thank you!
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