VALOUR: First Government Funded Veteran Support Centres Launch

The government has announced the launch of VALOUR, the UK's first ever national network of government funded veteran support centres. Fourteen existing centres across the country will each receive up to £1 million to become recognised hubs within the new system, with a total of £13 million going out in this first round. It is part of a wider £50 million programme that the government describes as the most significant investment in veterans support in the UK's history.

The announcement was made on 25 March 2026 by Louise Sandher-Jones MP, the Minister for Veterans and People, during a visit to Alabaré's centre in Salisbury, which will become one of the first VALOUR recognised hubs in the South West of England.

🏛️ What Is VALOUR?

VALOUR stands for the Veterans and Armed Forces Liaison, Outreach and Unified Response network. It is designed to fix what veterans organisations have long described as a fragmented and confusing landscape of support services.

At the moment, a veteran trying to access help with housing, mental health, employment, or benefits has to navigate dozens of different organisations, councils, charities, and government departments, often with no one to guide them through the system. The result is that people fall through the gaps, get lost in referral chains, or simply give up.

VALOUR tries to solve this by creating a joined up national system with three key parts:

• A network of local hubs in every region, acting as a single point of contact for veterans
• Field officers on the ground who can identify veterans at risk early and connect them to services
• A national headquarters based in the Office for Veterans Affairs inside the Ministry of Defence, which will coordinate standards and track outcomes across the country

There will also be an online platform allowing veterans and service providers to connect digitally, The system will work together to share data and form better connections between local charities, councils and service providers.

🏠 Why This Matters: Veterans Have Been Falling Through the Gaps

To understand why VALOUR is significant, it helps to know what veterans have been dealing with before it existed.

Veterans at risk of homelessness, for example, rarely face housing as a single isolated problem. They often have overlapping challenges, mental or physical health needs, difficulty accessing employment, confusion around benefits, and a lack of continuity between leaving the military and accessing civilian services. A charity might be able to help with accommodation but have no way to refer someone on to mental health support. A council might have housing options available but no specialist knowledge of the armed forces community.

The result is that well intentioned funding and support schemes have often failed to deliver on their promise, not because the money was not there, but because the system lacked coordination.

The government's own previous scheme, Op FORTITUDE, which was introduced in 2023 to act as a single point of contact for homeless veterans through a dedicated phone line and accommodation funding, was welcomed by organisations but highlighted the need for something more structural. In November 2025, £12 million in further funding was confirmed to extend Op FORTITUDE for three more years after concerns were raised that hundreds of veterans could face homelessness without it.

VALOUR is intended to go further, not just a phone line or a funding top up, but a genuine system that connects housing, health, employment, and wellbeing support across every region of the UK.

💰 How the Money Works

🗺️ Which Centres Have Been Selected?

The 14 centres in Round 1 cover all four nations of the UK and represent a range of organisations from councils to charities to specialist community groups.

Northern Ireland

• Brooke House - a wellbeing centre in County Fermanagh that supports veterans mental health

Scotland

• SSAFA (Glasgow) - a drop in centre that signposts veterans to local services

Wales

• Bulldogs Boxing and Community Activities (Port Talbot) - a community sports centre supporting local veterans

North East England

• Northumberland County Council
• East Durham Veterans Trust

North West England

• Armed Forces Community HQ - Greater Manchester - organises community activities such as walking trips and choir singing to reduce isolation
• Veterans in Communities

Yorkshire & the Humber

• Hull 4 Heroes

West Midlands

• Telford & Wrekin Council

East Midlands

• Derbyshire Addictions Advice Service

South East England

• Veterans Outreach Support
• Royal British Veterans Enterprise - a Kent based charity that trains and employs veterans to manufacture road signage

South West England

• Alabaré (Salisbury)
• Improving Lives Plymouth

🔍 A Closer Look: The Salisbury Centre

The minister's visit to Alabaré's centre in Salisbury gave an indication of what VALOUR is expected to look like in practice. The centre will coordinate housing, health, employment, and wellbeing support for the region's 265,000 strong veteran community, and is working in partnership with six other local military charities:

• Defence Medical Welfare Service
• Defence Gardens
• Icarus
• The Poppy Factory
• The Warrior Programme
• Armed Forces Equine Charity

Andrew Lord, CEO of Alabaré, said: "We were delighted to welcome the Veterans Minister to the South West's VALOUR recognised centre in Salisbury. The VALOUR programme is one of the most significant opportunities in recent years to transform how the UK's Armed Forces community accesses support, recovery pathways, and long term independence. ALABARÉ's partnership with Defence Medical Welfare Service, Defence Gardens, Icarus, The Poppy Factory, The Warrior Programme and Armed Forces Equine Charity reflects both our long standing commitment to supporting veterans and the strength that comes when organisations work together."

🏛️ What the Government Says

Louise Sandher-Jones MP, Minister for Veterans and People, said: "This government is stepping up the nation's commitment to its veterans. We are building the first ever system that brings together a headquarters in the heart of government, coheres charities and support services, and connects a network of veteran support centres. With new connections across the system and field officers on the ground, VALOUR will build the most detailed picture yet of what's working and what's needed at a local and national level. Our message to veterans is simple: this Government is on your side."

The announcement is part of the government's broader 10 year Veterans Strategy, which sets out a long term commitment to celebrating veterans contributions and supporting their health, employment, and participation in their communities.

📅 What Happens Next?

A second round of VALOUR funding will open later in spring 2026, allowing more organisations across the UK to apply to become recognised hubs. This means the 14 centres announced today are just the start of a network that is expected to grow substantially over the coming months.

The national headquarters at the Office for Veterans Affairs will be responsible for overseeing the network, collecting data on what works, and improving coordination between local centres and national government over the longer term.