Veterans and military families in Paisley, Renfrew and Johnstone can now access support with homelessness, unemployment and mental health issues as SSAFA Connect expands its service.
Run by SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, the service has provided practical housing, health and employment support in the Glasgow area for the past 16 years. It helped 592 people in 2025.
It is now widening access to communities along Scotland’s M8 corridor, from Greenock to Edinburgh. The expansion will increase its capacity to support almost a thousand more veterans and Forces families each year for the next three years.
SSAFA Connect, formerly Glasgow’s Helping Heroes, was awarded nearly £1 million in Ministry of Defence funding earlier this year through VALOUR, the UK-wide support system for veterans.
The funding is administered by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. It enables the team to work with clients outside Greater Glasgow for the first time, supported by the Defence Medical Welfare Service and Glasgow Central Citizens Advice Bureau.
Sy Harty, Service Manager at SSAFA Connect, said: “Extending our support to even more areas and reaching thousands more veterans and Forces families is an exciting milestone for our service, and has potential to transform the lives of even more people who have served their country.
“We look forward to working with new and established partners alike to make it easier for those in the Armed Forces community across Scotland’s central corridor to access support in their time of need – because no one should ever battle alone.”
Among those previously helped by SSAFA Connect is RAF veteran Bryony, who became homeless following a relationship breakdown.
Hundreds of miles from family and friends, she booked into a cheap hotel and walked an hour each way to work to save money before seeking help.
SSAFA Connect secured funding for her bus fares and helped her find more permanent accommodation. With the service’s support, she was allocated a council flat.
Bryony said: “Now I’m settled in a lovely little cosy flat with the most epic friends around me; I have the best support network I have ever had. If it wasn’t for SSAFA I wouldn’t have everything and everyone I have now. Everything has changed for me.”
Gwynneth James, Projects Development Manager at Glasgow Central Citizens Advice Bureau, said: “We recognise that for some veterans and their family members asking for help with benefit and debt problems can be incredibly difficult.
“Financial worries can cause extreme stress, anxiety and uncertainty, affecting not only an individual’s financial situation but also their mental health, relationships and overall quality of life. The support provided by our CAB worker has made a real and lasting difference to many veterans and their families.”
To find out more or access support, visit ssafa.org.uk/SSAFAConnect or call 0141 488 3652.
Photo: RAF veteran Bryony, who received support from SSAFA Connect to find a home after becoming homeless.
Photo Credit: SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.