The Association of Service Drop-In Centres (ASDIC) represents and links veterans’ Drop-Ins across the country. Sometimes called Hubs or Centres, Drop-Ins offer a variety of welfare and mental health support, together with comradeship and a sense of well-being, to the ex-military community and their families, and ASDIC helps them to enhance the service they can provide and make them more accessible.
During that time, more than 5,000 Service personnel, their families and partners based at HMNB Clyde, Aldershot Garrison and RAF Wittering have benefitted from the widening of accommodation entitlement.
The purpose of pilot was to explore how Defence could provide personnel with fairer options to meet their needs, whilst keeping it affordable for the Ministry of Defence.
FAM has meant more choice for those who are married, in civil partnerships, in a Long Term Established Relationship (LTR(E)) and who have children who live with them for over 80 nights per calendar year. It has allowed them to apply for subsidised Service Family Accommodation (SFA) and receive support towards the private rental sector or buying their own home.
Chief of Defence People, Vice Admiral Phil Hally said:
“Thank you to all those Service personnel and families that have taken part in the Future Accommodation Model (FAM) pilot. I am pleased to see that it has had a positive impact for those eligible, providing choice and flexibility. Within Defence, we support every single one of our people and hope to apply our findings into the New Accommodation Offer when it’s released later this year.”
Head of Accommodation Policy, Jo Barker SCS said:
“I have been deeply encouraged over the duration of the pilot by all the positive feedback and stories we have been privileged to be part of. I have high hopes that the New Accommodation Offer will provide a widened offer for our modern Defence. I would like to thank all who have been involved across the three pilot sites and to the whole team for their hard work.”
Reflections from personnel who have benefitted from FAM… Service personnel's FAM success stories
Navy wife Becky who took advantage of both FAM and Forces Help to Buy (FHTB), said:
“FHTB gave us the financial support to own a home, one that we chose, and we wanted, while also being eligible for the FAM core payment. It was a smooth process, and the financial support has made a big difference for our family.”
Army WO2 Andy who benefited from the Needs Based Offer under the FAM pilot, said:
“The FAM pilot has been a complete breath of fresh air and it's opened up so many more avenues and will greatly improve my family's quality of life.”
RAF Fg Of Jemima and Tom who moved into their first SFA as an LTR(E) together, said:
“Having been in a relationship for the past three years and both serving we jumped at the opportunity to live together. FAM has brought us into the 21st century, removing barriers for those who simply aren’t ready or don’t want to get married.”
What happens now… The Defence Accommodation Strategy (DAS) published back in October 2022 outlines all the significant changes for Defence accommodation.
The DAS recognises the way people live and work is changing, and that our accommodation offer should reflect this. Defence knows it’s crucial to provide accommodation that works for a modern Whole Force, their partners and families.
Over the course of the next few months, we will be giving you more details about what the new changes will look like, keeping you informed and updated every step of the way through regular articles, Chain of Command updates, social media and on GOV.UK.
If you have any queries about the end of FAM please contact the Accommodation Support Cell (ASC) by email at People-Accom-ASC@mod.gov.uk.
.png)
