Veterans and Family Hub - Improving Lives Plymouth

Improving Lives Plymouth has co-designed with veterans, their families and carers, and partners, a Plymouth Veterans and Family Hub at Ernest English House, Buckwell Street, Plymouth, PL1 2DA. The hub is run by veterans and their families for veterans and their families. 

The hub provides social activity, peer support and mentoring, casework, support for older carers, and works with a range of organisations in the city to shape better pathways to employment, mental wellbeing, welfare, housing advice and financial information. 

Volunteers from the veteran community and their families, and others, will be recruited and trained to give them the necessary skills, knowledge and confidence, to provide group and one to one support, and awareness training.

What we do

The Hub works, with local health service partners, to help veterans get the support that they are entitled to under the military covenant.  

We deliver targeted training for health and wellbeing staff in the city, delivered by, and with veterans, raising awareness of entitlement, growing understanding of issues facing veterans, their families and carers, and an understanding of military culture.

We support veterans, and their families:

• Connect with the people around them: their family, friends, colleagues and neighbours through social activities.  
• Learn new skills and build on existing ones, in and outside the Hub. 
• Volunteer at the Hub and with partner charities

We have a drop-in lounge at the hub (the Mess is your home from home) for veterans of the armed forces, reservists, and their families. 

Coffee and tea and camaraderie always available. 

The lounge is open 10am - 2pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday

In the Hub we have a Caseworker, who works with Advice Plymouth, to provide:

• Information and advice for veterans and their families.
• Assessments of need and support plans developed with you.
• Co-working with partner organisations to deliver the required support.
• Outreach work in various community settings.

This casework support is available at the Hub Monday - Friday: 9.00am - 5.00pm 

At the hub we support veterans and their families to have the happiest and healthiest older age possible. 

Are you caring for an Aged Veteran, or are you yourself an Aged Veteran and looking after someone? Then we can support you to get access to the information and advice you need. We can offer one to one support, group events and information to support you.