The real test of veterans’ support is what happens next

At the same time, leaving service is one of the biggest transitions a person can make. In that moment, they shouldn’t also have to piece together support from different places. They need a clear route to a job, a home, and a community that understands their experience, so they can thrive in civilian life.

That’s why the government’s ambition to bring services together nationally under one roof through Op VALOUR is the right one. Done well, it could remove the fragmentation that has held too many people back.

But access alone won’t change lives. What matters is where that access leads.

For years, veterans have had to navigate fragmented services, repeating their story to different agencies while trying to find stability. Op VALOUR can change that, and its success will depend on how well coordination works in practice. A veteran can be signposted to a job, a home, or health support, but unless those services genuinely work together, the outcome is still uncertain.

Success will also be strongest when it is defined by what happens after someone walks through the door, not simply by the number of people who enter it.

Local flexibility is important, but it must not become a postcode lottery. A veteran in Kent should have the same chance of securing a stable home and meaningful work as someone in Glasgow or Cardiff. National coordination will be strongest when it delivers national consistency.

Employment is central to this. With unemployment rising, especially among people already facing barriers to work, VALOUR has an opportunity to ensure veterans are supported to secure and sustain jobs, not simply pointed towards them. Confidence grows when people can see a path that leads somewhere.

At Royal British Veterans Enterprise (RBVE), we see every day what happens when access is tied to outcomes. Through our national Lifeworks programme, 80 per cent of long‑term unemployed veterans move into paid work or training within a year. That’s because they were supported, coached, and given a clear route back into employment.

The same is true at our village in Kent. Veterans and their families live less than a kilometre from work opportunities at our social enterprise factories. Homes, jobs and wraparound support sit side by side, reinforced by a community of people who share the same experience of service.

Integrating homes, employment, and community support effectively is difficult and takes time to get right. But when it does come together, the impact can be significant. In our recent evaluation, 72 per cent of veterans who arrived at our village in crisis and later moved into independent accommodation had been supported to secure paid work. It shows what’s possible when support is coordinated rather than fragmented, which is what Op VALOUR is aiming to scale nationally.

Our experience at RBVE shows why this direction matters. When services are connected, outcomes follow, and that is why we welcome Op VALOUR’s ambition to bring support together in a more coordinated way. If Op VALOUR keeps outcomes such as secure homes, sustained employment, and long‑term independence at its centre, it can deliver the lasting change veterans deserve.

The ambition is there. The coordination is coming. Now the priority must be outcomes.

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Lisa Farmer is the CEO of Royal British Veterans Enterprise.

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