Bloomberg Charity Partner Receives Extra Support From the Mayor of London

Originally posted on bloomberg.com

Today, London Mayor Boris Johnson announced a £1.7 million grant to support the work of Bloomberg’s charity partner, Veterans Aid. The donation, made in recognition of the outstanding support Veterans Aid offers ex-servicemen and women in crisis, will go towards the refurbishment of its hostel for homeless veterans, called New Belvedere House.

Bloomberg proudly supports Veterans Aid’s work to train and counsel ex-service men and women whom have fallen on hard times. This year, Bloomberg committed to support the renovation of The Old Rectory, a Victorian building used as a “move on” house for veterans leaving the main hostel. The building in East London hosts people who have worked through their problems and are almost ready to live independently. Veterans live in self-contained apartments with their own kitchens and bathrooms.

Over the course of eight months, more than 1,200 Bloomberg volunteers will help gut, refurbish, rewire and reconfigure the home to expand the center’s capacity and transform it to a world-class facility. Bloomberg volunteers, working alongside Habitat for Humanity, will save Veterans Aid about £220,000 in labor.

To read more about the project, read the Evening Standard’s article here and watch the volunteers in action below.

Bloomberg’s commitment to work with veterans in the UK includes support for the 14-18 NOW arts program, the planting of 888,246 poppies at the Tower of London in 2014 and our Hire a Hero mentoring initiative.