Homeless veterans’ charity Launchpad has received a grant worth £38,000 from the Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund to part-fund a Specialist Case Worker post at Avondale House in Newcastle.
Ann Rees joined the charity in 2020 and provides specialist one-to-one support to veterans living at the house, which provides self-contained, one-bedroom flats for up to 33 residents.
Ann supports residents to overcome and tackle mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, PTSD and addictions and helps them move onto stable and independent lives. She works with volunteers and partner organisations by encouraging those who need support to engage with the extensive range of agencies that provide expert relevant help.
Ann is one of two specialist case workers based at Avondale House in Byker and is often the first member of staff to greet the residents when they arrive off the streets or have been sofa surfing. She works alongside partners including Veterans at Ease, Plumber Court and Combat Stress to ensure they stabilise their lives and focus on their futures.
The grant will part-fund her role to support 90 veterans for the next two years. Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund was founded in 1803 and is one of the oldest military charities, uniting the Lloyd’s insurance market to support veterans and their families today. The fund partners with military charities such as Launchpad, who support veterans with mental health and employment needs of the UK Armed Forces’ community, focusing on improving the transition to civilian life.
Phil Thompson, Manager of Avondale House said:
“We are very grateful to Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund for awarding this grant to part-fund Ann’s role. Ann is a valuable member of staff within the house and is very highly regarded by all residents. She supports them [the residents] from the moment they arrive at the house until they leave and she builds a good rapport with them on their journey to moving on and living independently.”
Ann commented:
“It’s wonderful news and I’m glad my work is recognised not only by residents and Launchpad, but our funding partners too. As a specialist case worker, my role is to support the residents from the moment they arrive, to develop a personal action plan to identify and understand their often-complex issues and needs and to link them to the myriad of external partners we work in partnership with.”
Prior to joining Launchpad, Ann accumulated over 18 years’ experience working in addictions across many roles including counselling and as a family support worker. She started her career as a counsellor at North East Council on Addictions (NECA) working with clients suffering from addictions and is also GamCare trained to support clients who had gambling addictions.
She then went on to work for a charity based in a GP surgery, counselling patients who suffer from life-limiting illness and then with an organisation offering counselling to adults who have suffered from sexual abuse as children.
Ed Butler, Chair of the Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund, says:
“We are delighted to be supporting Launchpad to part-fund a Specialist Case Worker post at Avondale House in Newcastle over the next two years. We were struck by the great work that Launchpad does for our veteran community across the country, especially when the demand for mental health support continues to grow. They have a great team working within the charity and our support will ensure that they can continue to deliver these vital services.”
Launchpad provides vital accommodation and support to UK Armed Forces’ veterans to help them stabilise their lives and make a successful transition from military to civilian life. Avondale House provides self-contained, one-bedroom flats for up to 33 residents and their partners and includes a communal lounge/kitchen area, IT suite and central courtyard and gardens for residents to relax.
The charity manages three houses in Newcastle, Durham and Liverpool and accepts veterans from all over the UK. It provides accommodation for 98 homeless veterans and their partners where relevant. The houses often provide the first safe place in which the veteran has slept for months or even years.
Demand for specialist veterans’ accommodation and services is increasing, with 361 homeless veterans approaching, or being referred to Launchpad in 2024 alone.
