How we help

Welfare, health and support services, for the UK military's serving personnel, veterans, and their families.

Who we help

SSAFA are committed to providing support to the UK Armed Forces community. Those are eligible for our support include those who have received a minimum of one day’s paid service in one or more of the following:


In addition, the following are also eligible for assistance:

  • Wives and former wives of someone who serves / has served
  • Husbands and former husbands of someone who serves / has served
  • Widows and widowers of someone who has served
  • Civil partners and former civil partners of someone who serves / has served
  • Partners who are, or were, in a long-term relationship with someone who serves / has served
  • Children under 18 who are dependent on someone who serves / has served
  • Children over 18 who have a disability and are dependent on someone who serves / has served
  • Those who provide, or provided care (see full eligibility criteria)


For more information of our full eligibility criteria please click on the button below:



How we help

SSAFA Casework is the support we provide for our beneficiaries to understand their situation and help them overcome the challenges they face.

This typically involves:

  • Assessing needs (both financial and non-financial)
  • Supporting beneficiaries to navigate processes for SSAFA support and other agencies whose intervention is required
  • Applying for financial assistance
  • Signposting and/ or referring to other services
  • Providing information on SSAFA and non-SSAFA related matters

All support is confidential and tailored to your circumstances.


Financial Assistance

SSAFA Caseworkers can apply to various military and civilian charities for assistance with essentials like food and clothing, household furniture and appliances, household costs, home repairs, removal costs, rental deposits  housing deposits and  mobility equipment. 


Request help now

SSAFA provides financial, practical and emotional support to all members of the UK Armed Forces family. If you would like to discuss the help you need and whether SSAFA can assist you please contact our Forcesline help team, or connect to your local SSAFA via our Branch Finder:






If you are currently serving, you can also contact our Serving Community Team who may have a team member operating at your local base:





If you are currently serving overseas (or living with your partner on deployment overseas) you can also find out about SSAFA's Overseas Community Health Services:





Request help now

Whilst SSAFA Caseworkers provide practical and emotional support, SSAFA Casework Service does not provide:

  • Accommodation*
  • Advice
  • Advocacy
  • Befriending
  • Counselling
  • Debt/ Financial Advice
  • Health Services
  • Housing Advice / Access to Housing*
  • Legal Representation
  • Removal Services (directly, funding may be applied for such services)
  • Shopping Services


 * Accommodation / Housing:

SSAFA does not have access to a housing stock or housing advice. We suggest if you require this support you contact one of the following: 





SSAFA can potentially apply for funds for crisis accommodation, advance rent and deposit, as well as removal and household goods costs.


What makes us unique?

We’ve been supporting the Armed Forces for 140 years. We support thousands of people in the UK and on military bases around the world. But it’s not just this that makes us unique.

The needs of serving men and women and of veterans are becoming more diverse as the world and military landscape changes. So we work hard to make sure our services are flexible. We constantly adapt them to fit with people we support and what they need. This means we can offer everyone we work with a range of tailored services to help them navigate life in and beyond the military.

SSAFA works in partnership with other military charities and specialist organisations to ensure that those who turn to us for help get the support they need.​​


Where we are?

SSAFA provides support wherever it is needed in the UK and worldwide. Our volunteer network reaches into every county of the UK and 11 countries around the world, operating on or near to the UK’s overseas bases. We coordinate our activities from our central office in London and via our regional teams and committees.


How we fund our work

Our charitable work is financed by contributions from benevolent funds, generous donations from members of the public and the profits generated by our Health and Social Care department who are contracted by the Ministry of Defence to provide direct support to serving personnel and their families in the UK and overseas.

Find more detail about how we fund our services in our reports and publications.