WIREDGOV

We hear from Arnold Moyo, a British Army veteran who details his experience after his service.

Arnold Moyo served in the British Army from February 2008 to August 2013. During this time, he was injured during training in Wales.

In early February 2024, Arnold lost his job, was unable to find housing and became homeless – during which time he slept rough.

Through the Office for Veterans’ Affairs-funded housing pathway Op FORTITUDE and SSAFA, Arnold accessed temporary accommodation and was referred into Riverside’s specialist supported housing for veterans, Mike Jackson House (MJH).

When you walk through the streets and you see people with sleeping bags, you might think: how can this be in the United Kingdom? How could this person become homeless?  

But what those people don’t realise is that any person can become homeless at any time. Not everyone on the streets is there because of drugs or alcohol, you can end up there because of severe PTSD after seeing your friend lose a limb. 

I chose to join the British Army in 2008 and I think it was the best decision I ever made. It transformed my life and changed my perspective on everything.  

I’m from the Commonwealth and there is so much diversity that people don’t always see from the outside. There are no barriers to entry in the British military and I am very much grateful for what this country has offered me 

But when I left in 2013, I was oblivious to what the British military could offer in terms of opportunity and personal growth. Things have changed now, but I wish someone had spoken to us about personal development in terms of your own welfare.  

The mistake many people make when they join the military is not saving money, because when you’re there everything is subsidised, you’re living on a base. But then you realise three quarters into your career that you haven’t got a house and by the time you start thinking about a mortgage it’s too late. 

Right after I left things became very difficult. I had a young family, but my ex-wife and I struggled to adapt to life outside the military and soon after leaving we separated after 10 years. 

After the divorce, it became very hard to try and cope with life. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, so, one might ask: how did you not save? But the military had consumed me, I had been spoon-fed for many years and I was oblivious to the world outside. 

At one stage I lost a work contract and I became homeless. It was an extremely difficult time. It was very hard to explain to somebody how I’d ended up there because of what I used to do. I think it was nativity. 

I went to the council to try and get accommodation, but I couldn’t. I ended up on the streets.  

Thank God I phoned SSAFA, which works in conjunction with the British Legion, and booked into a hotel for the next coming few weeks. They then made a referral to MJH through Op FORTITUDE.

In my view, OP FORTITUDE is one of the best organisations out there for military veterans – and there are a lot of homeless veterans out there.  

To any military veterans out there, I want to say that it’s never too late and you need to articulate your problem to someone. Always reach out for help, because there is always going to be someone there to help you.

– Arnold Moyo

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