WHAT IS LAUNCHPAD
Launchpad is a veterans' charity registered with the Charity Commission (AF&V Launchpad Limited No. 1153185)
WHO DOES LAUNCHPAD SUPPORT?
80-90% of veterans who become residents with Launchpad come from a homeless background and 100% suffer from one or more of these challenges:
- Homelessness
- Poverty
- Unemployment
- Broken families
- Mental or physical illness or injury (about 6% are formally diagnosed with PTSD)
- Alcohol or drug over-use
- Other welfare issues
- Some of the veterans have come straight from prison
- A few have just left resettlement plans late on leaving the Army, or are briefly in transit from one job to another or one location to another
- Veterans may have served a few days or weeks to 20+ years in any of the armed forces
- Their ages range from 18 upwards and can be of any faith, gender, race and so on.
We strive to reduce homelessness.
WHAT DO WE DO TO SUPPORT VETERANS?
- Launchpad provides veterans with accommodation (their own refurbished, one-bedroom flat) and communal facilities, for which they pay rent, either using housing benefit or income or savings, for up to two years.
- Working with other organisations (see them by clicking here), Launchpad provides support to those veterans to acquire jobs, via some training if necessary, and permanent housing. The charity provides confidence-boosting, character-building and social development activities, working with other partners, to aid their transition and integration into civilian communities.
- Launchpad aims to get its veterans into employment and permanent housing, and contributing to society within two years.
Working together, we support veterans as they plan a successful transition to independent living
WHAT ARE OUR ACHIEVEMENTS?
Achievements in the last year have been as follows:
- 35% of residents settle into independent living with jobs
- 40% of residents settle into independent living, on benefits and may be looking for a job
- 25% of residents move on without significant change to their wellbeing, but all will have benefited from Launchpad's support
- 260 residents have benefited from Launchpad's services
- Launchpad won the “Working Together” award in the national “Soldiering On Awards”
- Point of Light winners 664 and 665 here