Haig Housing

Our commitment to the Armed Forces Community

Haig Housing Trust recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, Veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by: 

• providing housing assistance to the Service and ex-Service community, including by offering a charitable discounted rent to qualifying beneficiaries;
• being the leading housing provider for ex-Service personnel in the UK, helping any Veteran in housing need, whether they are transitioning into civilian life or are simply in need of a helping hand;
• providing a solution for badly wounded, disabled or seriously ill Service and ex-Service personnel whose condition is Service attributable to become shared leaseholders of a suitable property;
• operate a grant fund to help our tenants or beneficiaries when they are need of items, services or facilities but cannot afford these For instance The Mrs Willie James Charity which an provide assistance in paying for essential white goods, furniture, medical equipment, back to work expenses and similar help;
• promoting the fact that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organisation by publicising our Armed Forces Covenant on our website and at our Headquarters;
• seeking to support the employment of Veterans of all ages, including by promoting details of all opportunities through the weekly Cobseo Jobs Bulletin and other appropriate networks and partners including the Career Transition Partnership, Regular Forces Employment Association and Officers’ Association;
• striving to support the employment of Service spouses and partners;
• endeavouring to offer a degree of flexibility in granting leave for any Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner’s deployment;
• seeking to support our employees who choose to be members of the Reserve Forces, including by accommodating their training and deployment requirements wherever possible and in supporting their participation in Reserves Day;
• signing up to the Defence Employers Recognition Scheme and working towards third party nomination for a Silver and then Gold award by demonstrating and advocating for support of Defence personnel;
• offering support to our local cadet units, either in our local community or in local schools, where possible;
• upholding our commitment as a signatory on the London Borough of Merton’s own Armed Forces Covenant by actively engaging with the Borough, especially in initiatives that benefit the local Veterans community;
• actively participating in Armed Forces Day through taking part in local events and by promoting the day;
• organising our own Remembrance Sunday service at our Headquarters estate and supporting other estates in their own services or acts of Remembrance;
• aiming to launch local initiatives to bring our own Veteran beneficiaries closer together with other members of the local community, especially other Veterans, such as by taking an active role in local Voluntary Sector Councils, including in the London Borough of Merton where the Trust has its Headquarters;
• promoting the needs of the ex-Service population, including the fair treatment of Service families, with local authorities, businesses and other organisations we come into contact in the normal course of our work;
• promoting the Armed Forces Covenant and its principles when working with commercial organisations and, in particular, those who we contract to provide services to our beneficiaries;
• working in partnership with other Veterans organisations to assist Veterans and their families such as, but not limited to, SSAFA, RBL, Help for Heroes;
• play an active part in the Confederation of Service Charities (Cobseo) and with its membership, in particular the Cobseo housing cluster;
• portraying a positive reflection of the Armed Forces community through everything we do.

About us

Haig Housing is a charitable housing association with some 1500 properties in small estates throughout the UK which it lets to ex-Service people and their families. It was set up in 1928 to perpetuate the memory of Field Marshal Earl Haig and commemorate his hard work and commitment towards the widows and dependants of those killed in WW1.