Three months after a VALOUR-Recognised Centre (VRC) for the South West opened at ALABARÉ’s Riverside House in Salisbury, the scheme has supported the equivalent of four people every week.
The VRC is part of a nationwide network, created by the Government’s Office for Veterans’ Affairs earlier this year, to provide improved support for former military personnel as they transition to civilian life.
VALOUR aims to offer signposting and advice to veterans, serving soldiers, and their families, focusing on housing, health, and employment.
The South West partnership is led by ALABARÉ, and based at the charity’s Riverside Sanctuary, alongside partners from the Armed Forces Equine Charity, Defence Gardens Scheme, Defence Medical Welfare Service, Icarus, The Poppy Factory and The Warrior Programme.
How Is VALOUR Supporting Veterans?
The VRC in Salisbury has so far supported a total of 83 individuals since officially launching on 2 July 2026.
The vast majority of those calls (94%) have come from veterans directly, with the remaining 6% of contacts from relatives and friends.
Nearly a quarter of people getting in touch for support (22%) have been female, showing a greater uptake for help when compared to the percentage of women within the British Armed Forces, which currently stands at 10.5%.
The reasons why the military community have been getting in touch include:
- Mental health and wellbeing concerns (47.9%)
- Accommodation and housing (33.3%)
- Employment, including training and education (6.3%)
- Relocation (4.2%)
- Finance and Benefits (4.2%)
- Physical health (2.1%)
- Dependencies and risk (2.1%)
In addition to the phone helpline, drop-in service and email inbox, the VRC has developed accessible and informal social activities to welcome the military community in, build positive relationships and encourage a sense of belonging.
Those sessions include the newly-launched ‘Tucker Tuesdays’, where veterans meet others and share experiences over a range of snacks, and continuing the well-established ‘Brew and Banter’ each Friday with the Salisbury & Amesbury Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club, with participants coming together for tea and cake while maintaining social connections.
These relaxed settings have been shown to provide an additional pathway for veterans who may not initially engage with more formal support services.
What Happens Next?
The VALOUR programme is designed to offer coordinated care and support to those who have served the country, wherever they are based and whatever their needs, as a one-stop shop.
Within the South West VRC, the ALABARÉ colleagues delivering the scheme are also highly skilled in working with both the military and within the homelessness sector.
They’re also supported by a growing team of volunteers, bringing their lived experience as veterans, spouses, and family members, to ensure the best support is made available.
The VALOUR-recognised centre has made more than 80 referrals to partner and external services, including statutory bodies and local authorities, as well as other third-sector organisations.
Those referrals have included support for a family who were facing eviction from their home, while the veteran head of the household was receiving medical treatment.
Through early intervention, they have been successfully rehoused, while the veteran has avoided an early discharge from hospital, providing greater stability and continuity of care.
In another case, a veteran who found themselves sleeping rough made contact with the VRC and, within 24 hours, was brought into supported living accommodation and a pathway towards longer-term housing.
Karen Langley, VALOUR Partnership and Engagement Lead at the ALABARÉ-led VRC, said:
“I’m really pleased to see so many veterans and their families coming forward for support from VALOUR, and it shows just how necessary the service has been. As a veteran myself, it’s an honour to provide that first point of contact for people in need of extra advice, the right signposting, and ultimately the help they deserve.
“I hope that having someone who’s served on the end of the phone provides an extra level of empathy and understanding and helps veterans feel more at ease about sharing their concerns. We’re really looking forward to expanding that support further with more regular outreach and community events to reach as much of the veteran community as possible, while also building closer links with the other VRCs across the country.”
Aligning with ALABARÉ’s Mission to Break the Cycle of Homelessness
The early success of the VALOUR-recognised centre follows a recent expansion of support by ALABARÉ for former military personnel at risk of homelessness, with the charity opening two additional Homes for Veterans in Salisbury and Devizes.
Another will also follow shortly in Gloucester, boosting the number of local bedspaces available for homeless veterans in a region that’s synonymous with its military connections.
Andrew Lord, Chief Executive of ALABARÉ, said:
“VALOUR is about housing, employment and health for veterans, so developing the additional Homes for Veterans in Wiltshire is an important part of the aspirations of the programme.
“As the programme continues to be rolled out, we’ll also be looking at how we can develop further services to support veterans who need additional support.”
The VALOUR scheme is funded by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, distributed through the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.
The South West VRC is open Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 2.30 pm, at the Riverside Sanctuary, Watt Road, Salisbury, SP2 7UD.
The team can also be contacted by phone on 07971 513108 or by emailing SouthWestValour@alabare.co.uk
