Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust makes 2nd grant!

16 September 2020

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust has provided SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity with a grant of £250,000 to support the military community during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The £250,000 grant, part of the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust’s Covid-19 Impact Programme, aims to support those most severely and adversely affected by Covid-19 until October 2020.

The Covenant Fund is administering this Covid-19 Impact Programme on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet Office following their allocation of emergency funding from DCMS and HM Treasury in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

SSAFA’s Covid-19 Frontline response consists of their helpline, Forcesline, Mentoring and Casework services to those most in need during the pandemic.

The charity will provide a holistic service whereby beneficiaries can contact Forcesline to receive help in times of need or hardship. The beneficiary will then be referred to either a local branch to receive direct support from a caseworker, or to the Mentoring service to provide 1-2-1 support post-service.

This most generous grant to support SSAFA’s integrated Covid-19 emergency referral pathway will assist many in times of need and hardship. The consequences of the pandemic have been felt, in various ways, by everybody, including those serving in our Armed Forces, veterans and their families.

Though some normality is returning, the need for our support continues to grow, not least as, during the lockdown, some who should have received help felt unable to reach out for assistance. They have struggled in isolation; their problems have spiralled out of control and they are now in crisis. It is our duty to ensure they are not left behind.

We are deeply grateful for this opportunity to take a leading role in supporting the Armed Forces community by bolstering our trusted Forcesline, Casework and Mentoring services. Without this tremendous grant and our ongoing partnership with the Covenant Fund, we would not be able to reach those who need SSAFA’s help now more than ever.

- Sir Andrew Gregory, Controller, SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity