Afghanistan: Housing Portal – Offers of support
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has launched a portal for pledges of offers of homes to accommodate people arriving from Afghanistan.
The portal on the UK Government website. has been created to allow the Government to collect and process offers of additional housing support for people arriving from Afghanistan, where those offers are for entire homes and from property owners, organisations or companies.
Details of how to offer other support and contributions such as housing, fostering or donations, can be found on the UK Government website.
Our commitment to the Armed Forces
Erewash Borough Council has signed the Armed Forces Covenant. Councillor John Sewell is our Armed Forces Covenant 'Champion', making sure we achieve our commitment to serving personnel, veterans and their families.
NHS Healthcare and support for members of the Armed Forces community
Find out about NHS healthcare for the armed forces community.
Our links with the Mercian Regiment
The links between the Sherwood Foresters, now part of the Mercian Regiment were celebrated by giving the regiment the Freedom of the Borough in 2008. The Ilkeston branch of the Worcester and Sherwood Foresters Association closed at the end of November 2016 and their historic standard and other artefacts were donated to the Erewash Museum as part of their War Room exhibition.
814 Naval Air Squadron
We are affiliated with 814 Naval Air Squadron as part of our continued commitment to support the armed forces community. Based at the Royal Navy Air Station at Culrose in Cornwall, they are a front-line anti-submarine squadron operating helicopters from shops and aircraft carriers.
The squadron – known as the ‘Flying Tigers’ – helps protect the naval fleet from surface and underwater threats, supports maritime security operations and helps in search-and-rescue missions.
Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust
The Armed Forced Covenant Trust Fund makes grants to support the Armed Forces Community and manages the grant programmes funded by the Covenant Fund.
These include:
- Armed Forces Covenant Fund: Force for Change Programme which supports Armed Forces Communities as they address the needs that have arisen as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Positive Pathways programme offers funding for projects that develop and run activities that support the mental health and wellbeing of veterans.
Help and Support
Veterans UK is working hard to protect both their staff and veterans during the Covid 19 pandemic but are still very much open for business. Staff are having to work from home and there are some changes to their services. Their current priorities are:
- Veterans UK is ensuring all of its half a million monthly pension and compensation scheme payments continue as expected into people's accounts.
- Whilst their helpline can't currently take calls, an email enquiry service is being provided via remote working, answering veteran's questions on a daily basis and providing call-backs when needed. Callers can now listen to recorded service information on their helpline number 0808 1914 218.
- All requests for welfare support are currently being met, the same day where at all possible.
- All planned Veterans Welfare Service and Defence Transition Services contact with clients is being maintained (using alternatives to face to face visits).
Some casework, including requests for new claims, reviews, reassessments and appeals have been paused during the current situation due to staff being unable to attend the office in person. However, staff are working hard to ensure no-one's payments stop and those who need welfare and other support during this time continue to receive it.
For more information please visit the Veterans UK page on gov.uk .
NHS England now offers a mental health service on the NHS website which has been specially tailored to support and treat ex-armed forces veterans and service personnel who are approaching discharge.
Big White Wall is a safe on-line community, free to members of the armed forces, veterans and families.
The Forces Help to Buy Scheme
Service personnel can get help with buying a home. The Forces Help to Buy scheme has been extended to 31 December 2022.
HM Forces Railcard
Am I eligible for a HM Forces railcard?Service Pupil Premium
If you have a child in a state school, the school can claim £300 Service Pupil Premium, to support your child. To claim the school must have details that the child meets the qualifying criteria at the point the school completes their census in January.
Job Centre Plus - Armed Forces Champion
The Department for Work & Pension has an armed forces champion in every Jobcentre Plus district who ensures that they provide support that meets the needs of the armed forces community. Ask the member of staff who you are dealing with to speak to the Armed Forces Champion.
Veterans' Gateway
Veterans' Gateway: just one point of contact could get you all the help you need from a group of armed forces organisations.
The Royal British Legion
Ilkeston Royal British Legion website
Long Eaton Royal British Legion website
Poppy Calls Maintenance Services
To be eligible for help, you must have served in the forces for at least 7 days, or be the dependant of someone who has served. The Poppy Calls service aims to help give veterans and members of the ex-service community the freedom to stay independent in their own homes. Get help with those awkward jobs around the house, such as minor repairs, or fitting of essential devices such as smoke detectors and community care alarms. A legion ‘handyman’ or ‘fitter’ is on call in several areas across the county to provide necessary assistance and practical advice. For more information about the service call 0800 032 0306.
Members of Erewash Borough Council have voted to support the Royal British Legion's Count them in campaign. This campaign seeks to add questions to the 2021 Census to improve our knowledge of our armed forces community.
SSAFA Derbyshire all 01773 828 116 or call the Helpline on 0800 731 4880.
Other useful links: Help for Heroes
Looking for somewhere to live?
Please note that the council no longer owns any homes that you can rent.
EMH Homes - provider of houses for rent and shared ownership in the East Midlands, including over 5,000 homes in the borough.
Home Options - information about homes for rent from councils and housing associations in Derbyshire. Erewash Borough Council is part of the Derbyshire Home-options Partnership.
Red Rose Housing - a Nottingham based charity. If you have served in the UK Armed Forces and are homeless, or you fear you could become homeless in the near future, and you are in need of support call 0115 9648334.
Own your Home For information about owning your own home and the schemes that exist to help you buy a home.
The Council can give you advise about housing and help prevent you from becoming homeless. If you need to talk to someone at the council about being homeless, contact us as soon as you can 0115 9072244 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Forces in the Community - A Beeston based charity, with a drop in centre. They state that they are "committed to supporting ex-service personnel and their families to reach their full potential. The charity delivers tailored employment guidance, housing advice, mental health support and provides a supportive environment in which to develop."
Combat Stress - The Veterans' Mental Health Charity.
Derby University offers courses for those due to leave the armed forces.
Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if there is any additional information that we can add to this page, that will be of use to members of the armed forces community, whether serving, a reservist, formerly serving member or a member of an armed service family.