The network of veterans support centres across the UK will more than double, after the government announced £13.2 million for 21 organisations to open the second wave of VALOUR-recognised centres. The expansion takes the network from 14 to 34 organisations, with the new centres due to launch by the beginning of 2027.

The funding was announced on 5 November by Veterans Minister Calvin Bailey. The government says an estimated one million veterans and their families will benefit from easier access to local support with healthcare, jobs and housing through the expanded network.

VALOUR is the government's system for joining up veterans' support. It is designed to help the UK's estimated two million veterans get the help they need through recognised local centres, a helpline service or online, rather than having to navigate a patchwork of separate charities and services on their own.

What the funding covers

The 21 lead organisations in the second wave are receiving £13,260,580 of development funding between them. Together with the first wave, which saw 14 organisations awarded over £13 million in March 2026, a total of £26.5 million of development funding has now been allocated to the VALOUR network.

Each centre acts as a single contact point for veterans and their families. The centres help people reach support with health, housing and employment, and can also help with finance, wellbeing, welfare and settling back into civilian life. They connect to a VALOUR headquarters in the Office for Veterans' Affairs within the Ministry of Defence, with regional centres and field officers working in communities.

Bailey visited Citizens Advice Rushmoor in Aldershot on 2 November to meet staff and the local veterans they support. Citizens Advice Rushmoor is one of the 21 organisations receiving a share of the second-wave funding.

Scotland gains a second centre

Scotland is among the places to benefit. The Defence Medical Welfare Service charity in Dumfries and Galloway is receiving £859,281 to launch a VALOUR-recognised centre, joining SSAFA Scotland's drop-in centre in Glasgow, which was awarded up to £1 million in the first wave.

There are around 176,000 veterans living in Scotland. The Glasgow centre supports veterans and forces families across Glasgow, Inverclyde, Edinburgh, Renfrewshire, North and South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire and West Lothian with housing, health and employment problems.

Part of the wider VALOUR programme

The centres sit within the £50 million VALOUR programme, which is part of the government's 10-year Veterans Strategy and is funded through the Defence Investment Plan. The strategy was drawn up alongside the Strategic Defence Review and the Armed Forces Covenant, and aims to renew the country's contract with those who serve and have served.

On top of the £50 million VALOUR fund, the government has also committed a further £12 million to homelessness services for veterans through the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme. Ministers say the continued rollout shows the strategy being delivered in practice, with the first centres already open and the second wave to follow by the start of next year.