Veterans facing homelessness in South Yorkshire will benefit from safe and comfortable accommodation thanks to a new halfway house owned by Help 4 Homeless Veterans.

In February, the charity was officially given the keys to a five-bedroom house in Masbrough, Rotherham that they had purchased thanks to the public’s support of their Buy a Brick fundraising campaign.

This new halfway house is intended to provide short-term accommodation for veterans who are facing homelessness while the charity team works to secure onwards housing.

The property, on Station Road, has been named Wood House in honour of the man without whom all this wouldn’t be possible.

Former soldier, Tom Wood MBE from Barnsley, started the charity in 2010 with the belief that no veteran should be homeless.

Over the last 15 years, Tom and a small group of volunteers have supported over 1,100 veterans with temporary housing and wraparound support.

With a growing need for their services, the charity had found that expensive hotel and B&B fees they were paying to get veterans off the street were escalating. Having their own property means they can immediately help someone instead of searching for a hotel with availability.

It also leaves more coffers in the pot to continue their wraparound service to help veterans transition back into civilian life.

Along with seeking out a long-term housing solution, the charity can give advice about accessing financial support or welfare and mental health services, as well as help with practical items for when they do move into their own home.

Wood House will open to guests this April once all maintenance works have been carried out. Help 4 Homeless Veterans have been supported by the team at Efficiency North who have been managing the works which includes electrical rewiring, loft insulation and disabled access.

The property also has an interesting history with a serendipitous link to the armed forces. Built in the 1890s, Polish pilots lived there in 1940. Then between 1948 and 1991, many ex-servicemen from WWII lived there.

In 1962, it was also visited by Polish military leader, General Tadeusz Bor-Komorowski, who led the Warsaw Uprising against occupying Nazi Germany in 1944. There is a blue plaque to mark this occasion on the exterior of the house.

For more information visit www.help4homelessveterans.org