York Secures £625,000 for Armed Forces Community Support
New VALOUR programme funding will establish a dedicated veterans support centre at West Offices, enhancing services for veterans and their families.
By Leah Sutcliffe
••2 min read
AI
Generic image of a traditional town hall facade with a balcony and iron railings, in warm afternoon sunlight.
York has secured £625,114 in government funding to significantly enhance support for its Armed Forces community, including veterans, serving personnel, and their families.
The investment, part of the Government's VALOUR programme, will build upon existing commitments and partnerships to expand services covering housing, wellbeing, employment, skills, carers' support, and social connection. The funding will enable the establishment of a new VALOUR-recognised veterans support centre at West Offices, creating a central hub for veterans and their families to access necessary support quickly and easily.
This new centre will also facilitate enhanced outreach work across communities, ensuring greater accessibility to services for all members of the Armed Forces community living in York. A key aspect of the programme involves co-production, where veterans and their families will help shape the services they use, identifying unmet needs and influencing support for future generations. A dedicated Co-production Champion, hosted by York CVS, will lead this initiative.
The centre is expected to open in January 2027 and operate until March 2030. Over the next three years, it aims to directly support approximately 1,500 veterans and a further 3,000 family members, carers, and others connected to the Armed Forces community in York.
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"This funding win is absolutely fantastic news for York, our veterans, their families and our wider Armed Forces community. It recognises the incredible strength of the partnerships that already exist across our city, bringing together veterans' charities and support organisations, the council, our garrison communities, health services and education providers."
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"This new VALOUR veterans centre will build on our strong track record of supporting our Armed Forces community and take that support to the next level, making services even more accessible, better connected and easier to navigate."
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"We are committed to ensuring veterans, serving personnel and their families can access the help and support they need, when they need it. An investment like this will strengthen that support for years to come."
The VALOUR programme is a UK-wide initiative with a £50 million budget, designed to improve access to services for veterans and their families, ensuring timely and appropriate support. It is a key component of the Government's Veterans Strategy.
Based on information from the official source: City of York Council (05/11/2026)
