We are delighted to have raised £262,150 for Riverside from the National Lottery Community Fund's Reaching Communities programme.

Riverside run Mike Jackson House, a homelessness project specifically for armed forces veterans facing extreme difficulty transitioning back to civilian life. Most have been living on the streets, have mental health problems and are at rock bottom.

Mike Jackson House has 25 small, self-contained flats where Riverside provides a calm and supportive environment, helping homeless veterans address the underlying issues that led to their situation.

Over three years, this project will support 90 homeless veterans with complex needs to successfully transition to independent living with the skills and networks to maintain this over the long term.

Veterans will work one-to-one with a Transition Worker to access civilian services, claim benefits, tackle debt and long-term find independent accommodation. They will also receive support from a Health & Wellbeing Worker to overcome their often-deep-seated mental and physical health problems. Crucially, Riverside will support veterans to rebuild relationships with their families to help them stabilise more quickly and build strong connections.

We are delighted to have supported Riverside in making this application a success.