SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity has received a £222,360 grant from the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF), the Army’s national charity, to help fund the delivery of its vital casework services.
Casework lies at the heart of SSAFA’s support for serving personnel and veterans, and – crucially – their families. Through this personalised service, SSAFA provides practical and emotional assistance tailored to individual circumstances.
Support can range from securing home adaptations that help people live independently to providing a listening ear and connecting individuals with specialist services for bereavement, anxiety, or depression.
As needs become increasingly complex, SSAFA’s caseworkers play an ever-more significant role in ensuring people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right way.
The ABF funding will help cover the operating costs of SSAFA’s casework service, enabling the charity to continue supporting soldiers and veterans, and their families whenever and wherever they need help.
The two charities have a long-standing partnership – the Army Benevolent Fund’s first grant was made to SSAFA in 1945. In the last five years alone, the ABF has provided more than £1 million of funding specifically towards SSAFA’s casework service, tailored to the individual needs of soldiers, veterans, and their loved ones, alongside its separate funding on behalf of the Army’s charities towards Mosaic, the IT system used to manage casework.
The casework service is central to the individual grants programmes of the ABF and of the Regimental and Corps charities. By working together with SSAFA, the Army’s charities ensure need can be speedily and effectively assessed and met appropriately. Nearly half of the 4000+ requests received for ABF’s financial assistance are from SSAFA caseworkers on behalf of members of the Army family facing hardship and need.
People like Jane*, an Army veteran who turned to SSAFA at her lowest ebb. A recent widow, and with her own serious medical conditions, she had little in life but bills and the threat of losing her home.
A SSAFA caseworker stepped in, helped her pay her debts, and reassured her that she would not lose her home, allowing her to focus on her health. He also got her a yearly annuity to supplement her income meaning that she could put the heating on without worrying and watch the television to ease her loneliness.
Because of her illness Jane had lost weight, so her caseworker secured a clothing grant for her enabling her to buy some new clothes, allowing her to look in the mirror once more.
“It was like Christmas,” began Jane, adding “The best things I bought with the grant were a new dressing gown and PJs; they were warm, and I didn’t have warm clothes.”
Of equal value, however, was what the support given helped Jane realise.
“My caseworker said SSAFA and the military community were there for me, that they were my family, and now I know they are.”
Air Marshal Steve Shell, SSAFA CEO, said:
“Stories like Jane’s demonstrate the absolute value of casework that this generous award from the Army Benevolent Fund, an award that bolsters the casework service that sits at the heart of everything SSAFA does.
“The challenges faced by those we support are becoming more complex, placing greater demands on our services. Funding like this is therefore more important than ever, and we are extremely grateful to the ABF for its continued partnership and support.”
Brigadier (Ret’d) Peter Monteith, Chief Operating Officer, ABF, added:
“The ABF is delighted to support SSAFA, with funding totalling £222,360, towards the charity’s casework service. Together with Corps and Regimental charities, the ABF provides thousands of individual grants each year, relying on SSAFA’s casework to ensure that soldiers, veterans and their families get the help they need, when they need it. We are proud to continue this long-standing partnership which makes such a difference to the Army family.”
To find out more about SSAFA, which has been supporting the Armed Forces community since 1885, search for “SSAFA near me”.
