Armed Forces Covenant

Armed Forces Covenant

BridgePoint Project CIC is a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant.

What is the Armed Forces Covenant?

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly. It exists to ensure the Armed Forces community faces no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services, and that special consideration is appropriate in some cases — especially for those who have given the most, such as the injured and bereaved.

By signing the Covenant, organisations across the UK pledge specific, actionable commitments to support the Armed Forces community. You can read more about the Covenant on the official Armed Forces Covenant website.

Why Veterans

Most people who leave the Armed Forces settle back into civilian life without major difficulty. But for a minority, that transition doesn't go smoothly — the loss of structure, distance from family support networks, and the lasting effects of service can combine to put someone's housing at risk. The UK Government's Veterans' Survey 2022 puts a number on this: roughly 1 in 400 veterans has experienced homelessness, rough sleeping, or living in a refuge, with others getting by long-term in precarious arrangements like sofa-surfing with family or friends.

What stands out from that same research is how few of those veterans get support when it matters — only around 1 in 10 received any government assistance, and under 6% had housing help from a charity. Scaled up across the UK's veteran population, that gap in support represents thousands of people.

That's the gap BridgePoint Project works in, in Kent — providing a stable home alongside support that's built around the way service life shapes what comes after it.

Our Pledge

BridgePoint Project CIC signed the Armed Forces Covenant on 8 July 2026. As part of that pledge, we committed to:

• Engage with any local Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve) presence — for example, local Army units, RAF stations and/or Naval bases.

• Provide ways for our staff to learn about the Armed Forces community.

• Establish an internal Armed Forces Network within our organisation, to enable staff members with an Armed Forces connection to meet and support one another.

• Appoint an Armed Forces lead within our organisation to coordinate support for the Armed Forces community.

• Develop relationships and work collaboratively with other organisations supporting the Covenant and the Armed Forces community in our local area and sector.

• Ensure the Armed Forces community has fair access to our services and is not put at a disadvantage due to their service, for example due to deployment or mobility.

• Take part in and/or promote awareness-raising schemes, such as veteran-friendly accreditation for GP practices and the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance.

• Ensure available dedicated healthcare services for members of the Armed Forces community, such as Op COURAGE, are signposted and promoted.

• Offer concessionary access to leisure centres and sports facilities for members of the Armed Forces community.

• Promote awareness of housing and homelessness services among the Armed Forces community.

• Organise, facilitate, promote and/or take part in remembrance and other ceremonial activities.

• Provide supported housing and a coordinated referral pathway for veterans at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness in the Folkestone and Dover area, working in partnership with local veterans' organisations and statutory services to identify need and provide a coordinated local response.

• Maintain robust safeguarding policies and practices to protect the welfare of veterans and vulnerable individuals accessing our services.

• Seek and act on feedback from veterans with lived experience of homelessness to continually improve the support we provide.

We also pledged to be Armed Forces Friendly, and to support UK Service Veterans and Leavers, Armed Forces Day, Reserve Forces Day, and Armed Forces Charities.

You can view and verify our signed pledge on GOV.UK: Bridgepoint Project — Armed Forces Covenant Business Pledge.