Veterans Aid is a charity based in the United Kingdom that provides aid to former members of the Royal Navy, Marines, Army, Air Force and Merchant Navy, as well as to their widows and widowers.
It operates from two locations in London: a drop-in centre and a head office in Victoria, and the residential New Belvedere House in Stepney.
The charity's primary goal is providing services to veterans in need. Under its "open door policy", the charity allows veterans to request assistance for a wide range of needs.
Veterans Aid, originally dubbed H10 and later The Embankment Fellowship Centre (EFC), was established in 1932 to fight homelessness among military veterans in London, who were affected by poverty and unemployment at the time. The charity started as a canteen and recreation room for destitute ex-servicemen.
Founded by Gwendoline Huggins, whose husband served as adjutant of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 1932 to 1935. After witnessing veterans sleeping on London's streets and along the Thames Embankment, she opened H10 for homeless veterans, in Lambeth, South London, in January 1932.
In 2007, the charity was renamed Veterans Aid, and its focus was expanded to cover more of the issues affecting veterans in crisis.
The charity's patron is the Dowager Viscountess Rothermere.
The charity provides crisis intervention for veterans, with a focus on preventing or alleviating homelessness. The organization provides a range of services, including emergency housing, food and clothing distribution, and referrals to specialized support agencies.
The charity has a "No Second Night Out" policy, under which it assists veterans who seek support.
Subsequent interventions may include counselling, addiction treatment, rehabilitation, debt management, and, where appropriate, access to education, retraining, or acquiring a new skill. Veterans Aid provides assistance to identify employment opportunities and to find homes for veterans.
Veterans Aid participates in the Mayor of London's "Life off the Streets" program, led by Sadiq Khan. The program assisted 5,455 people between March and December 2019.