Stoll

Stoll is the leading provider of supported housing for vulnerable and disabled veterans in the United Kingdom. Its mission is to enable ex-Servicemen and women who are facing complex challenges—including homelessness, severe injury, mental health issues, and social isolation—to lead fulfilling, independent lives. More than just a landlord, Stoll offers a specialized, holistic community model where housing is coupled with comprehensive support services, ensuring veterans receive the bespoke care and structure necessary to successfully transition to civilian life.

The organization operates on the profound understanding that military service, while a source of immense pride, can leave individuals with specific psychological, physical, and financial challenges that make navigating the civilian housing market and support systems nearly impossible. By creating supportive communities in locations like London and Aldershot, Stoll effectively addresses the roots of veteran homelessness, replacing instability and isolation with dignity, safety, and camaraderie.

The Crisis: From Uniform to Uncertainty

The journey from military service to civilian life is a complex one, and for a significant number of ex-Service personnel, it can lead directly to vulnerability and, in the worst cases, homelessness. Several factors contribute to this crisis:

1. Trauma and Mental Health: Many veterans live with untreated or complex trauma, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety, which can make sustained employment and personal relationships incredibly difficult. These issues often lead to job loss and housing instability.
2. Physical Disability: Severe combat injuries or long-term service-related illnesses require adaptations, specialized care, and ground-floor access, which are often unavailable in the private rental market.
3. Lack of Civilian Skills Translation: The structured, insular nature of military life can leave veterans unprepared for the administrative and logistical demands of civilian life, such as navigating benefits, securing housing, and managing independent finances.
4. Social Isolation: The immediate severance of the deep bonds of military unit life can result in severe loneliness and isolation, a key predictor of mental health decline and homelessness.

Stoll’s intervention is specifically designed to counteract these forces, providing a secure, military-aware environment where vulnerable veterans can access specialist help without stigma.

Stoll’s Holistic Model: Housing Plus Support

Stoll’s approach is defined by the critical concept of "Housing Plus Support." It recognizes that housing alone is insufficient; stability requires a safe place to live and access to professional services that address the underlying causes of the veteran's vulnerability.

Stoll's work

1. Affordable, Adapted Housing

Stoll provides high-quality, long-term rental accommodation, often within dedicated veteran communities. The housing is specifically designed or adapted to meet the needs of disabled veterans, featuring accessibility modifications that allow residents to live independently. This provision removes the immense stress of housing insecurity and the constant search for suitable, affordable accommodation, which is often the first step in stabilizing a veteran’s life.

• Veterans' Nomination Scheme: Beyond their own properties, Stoll actively works with over 100 housing providers across the UK, managing the Veterans' Nomination Scheme. This system uses Stoll’s expertise to identify veterans in need and effectively link them with affordable housing opportunities provided by partner housing associations, broadening the scope of its impact nationally.

2. Comprehensive Support Services

This is the central pillar of the Stoll model, provided by a dedicated team of welfare officers who understand the military culture and the unique challenges of service life. Support is individualized and non-judgmental, focusing on enabling long-term independence:

• Welfare and Benefits Advice: Assisting veterans with complex applications for welfare benefits, military pensions, and disability grants, maximizing their income and financial stability.
• Physical and Mental Health Access: Facilitating access to specialist Armed Forces health services, including trauma counselling, addiction support, and physical therapy, often in collaboration with key partners in the military charity sector.
• Social Inclusion and Community: Directly combating isolation by fostering a strong sense of community within its developments. Stoll organizes activities, communal meals, and peer-support opportunities that tap into the unique camaraderie and esprit de corps that veterans crave, replacing the isolation of civilian life with a network of people who genuinely understand their experiences.
• Training and Employment: Linking veterans with training, volunteering, and employment opportunities to help them successfully translate their military skills into the civilian marketplace, thereby boosting their confidence and economic independence.

3. The Veterans' Drop-In Centre

Stoll’s sites often serve as a community hub, exemplified by its Veterans' Drop-In Centre. This service provides a low-barrier, welcoming space for veterans who are not necessarily residents of Stoll but are in need of urgent advice, a hot drink, and a connection. This is a critical lifeline for veterans who may be newly homeless or struggling with immediate crises, providing a direct pathway into the wider network of support services.

The Outcome: Restored Independence and Belonging

The long-term impact of Stoll’s work is the restoration of a stable, dignified life for vulnerable and disabled veterans. By providing a secure foundation, specialized support, and a sense of belonging, the charity moves individuals from survival mode to thriving independence.

The success stories often highlight the shift from a lonely, chaotic existence to one defined by routine, health, and purpose. Veterans who once struggled with the daily reality of homelessness find themselves secure enough to pursue further education, maintain long-term employment, and, most importantly, re-engage with their families and their communities.

Stoll’s commitment to providing housing that is military-aware and trauma-informed makes it a vital national asset. It ensures that the men and women who served their country, and who subsequently fell into crisis, are treated with the respect and expertise they deserve, ultimately fulfilling the societal duty to care for those who risked everything in service.