SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity has received a £215,880 contribution towards casework operating costs and an additional £35,980 to assist with running costs of its Stepping Stone Home.
The funding has been provided by the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF), the Army’s national charity, which supports soldiers, former soldiers, and their families for life.
SSAFA’s casework is at the core of the charity’s services. Through casework, SSAFA offers practical and emotional support, all tailored to individual needs. A case might involve supporting someone with adaptations to their home so they can maintain independence, or it may consist of emotional support, lending an ear and connecting a person to counselling services for grief, anxiety, or depression. There can be more than one area for support, so a personalised service is key.
Casework is provided by trained and experienced volunteers, with support from professional staff. It is accessible to anyone across Armed Forces, including serving personnel, veterans, and their families.
Last year, SSAFA casework volunteers and employees sourced £8.8 million, through applications to military benevolent funds and other charities, to assist our beneficiaries. The funding from ABF will support casework operating costs, helping SSAFA support soldiers, veterans, and their families, with whatever they need, when they need it.
Meanwhile, SSAFA’s Stepping Stone Home provides secure, female-only accommodation and services for women and children from the Armed Forces community who have experienced domestic abuse and violence. It is a practical service, providing a range of support, while also giving sanctuary to the adults and children who need to use it.
Last year, Stepping Stone Home saw 141 women and children supported: 48 were provided with accommodation, while 93 women were supported through SSAFA’s outreach community programme, reflecting an increase of 38 per cent on 2023.
Steve Shell, CEO at SSAFA, said:
“This award from the Army Benevolent Fund is a welcome contribution to two crucial services. As demand grows, funding for the Stepping Stone Home is key. And with casework, we are seeing rising complexity in our cases, which is naturally accompanied by rising costs, making fresh support for our casework operations all the more important. We are very grateful to the ABF for its continued support of our work with the Armed Forces family.”
Brigadier (Ret’d) Peter Monteith, Chief Operating Officer at the Army Benevolent Fund, added:
“The ABF is delighted to provide funding for these two important SSAFA services, which provide vital assistance and practical help to soldiers, veterans, and their loved ones. The ABF provides thousands of individual grants each year, relying on SSAFA’s casework to ensure everyone can receive the help they need, when they need it. SSAFA and the ABF has worked in partnership to help the Army family for many years, and we are proud to continue our funding support for SSAFA’s work.”
SSAFA has been working for the whole UK Armed Forces community for since 1885. Its mission is to ensure they never battle alone.
