* November 2026 *
From Commemoration to Action
A Message from CEO Janna Voloshin.
“I wouldn’t be here without the V Centre and Vasey RSL Care staff. Today I’m thriving, rebuilding my life and looking forward to the future.”
Veteran who has used Vasey RSL Care’s services.
As we approach Remembrance Day, we pause to remember the Australians who have served our country, the sacrifices they have made, and those who continue to put their lives on the line to protect our nation, our freedoms and the way of life we often take for granted.
But remembrance must mean more than a moment of silence.
It must also mean recognising what happens when our service men and women return home… they return changed, some carry physical and psychological wounds that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. They have put their lives on the line for Australia, often with the assurance that if they ever needed help, their country would be there to look after them.
Yet for too many veterans, that promise is not being met.
There is a significant gap between the support veterans need and the support currently available. Across Australia, ex-service organisations like Vasey RSL Care are stepping in to fill that gap, providing housing, care and practical support to veterans who might otherwise fall through the cracks.
We do this because we believe those who served deserve nothing less. But we cannot continue to carry this responsibility alone. Demand is growing, the need is becoming more complex, and the resources available to organisations like ours are simply not keeping pace.
Australia is experiencing a housing crisis unlike anything we have seen in decades. For veterans, the situation is even more concerning. Veterans are three times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population, and too many are struggling to find a safe, secure place to call home.
We need a stronger commitment from Government. We need the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide translated into meaningful action, including sustained investment in ex-service organisations to deliver housing and the wraparound support services that help veterans rebuild their lives.
At Vasey RSL Care, we want to do more. We need to expand our social and affordable housing options so more veterans have a place to call home. We also need to continue and grow the important work being delivered through our Veteran Empowerment Program, helping veterans get back on their feet.
We currently have an Expression of Interest lodged for Round 3 of the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF), which would help us build more affordable homes for veterans. This funding is desperately needed. It represents an opportunity to turn a genuine commitment to veterans into homes, support and better futures.
This Remembrance Day, our message to Government is simple: veterans will not be forgotten. Their service matters. Their wellbeing matters. Their future matters. And we will not back down from advocating for the support they deserve.
But we need the community alongside us.
If you believe that those who served our country deserve a safe place to call home and the support they need to rebuild their lives, we ask you to stand with us. Help us make this issue impossible to ignore. Write to the people who make the decisions. Tell the Government that the veteran community matters and that greater investment in veteran housing and support is needed.
Below is an advocacy letter that you can use to contact the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Housing and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs. It only takes a few minutes, but together, our voices can make a difference.
Remembrance Day is a time to honour service and sacrifice. It is also an opportunity to ask ourselves what we are doing for those who have served.
This year, let’s turn commemoration into action.
Lest we forget.
Janna Voloshin, Chief Executive Officer
Take Action Now
We are calling on our community to advocate for support for veterans.
Copy and paste the letter below into a new email (or onto the contact form for the Prime Minister) and feel free to edit it if you wish to.
Send to the following Government Ministers:
The Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister https://www.pm.gov.au/contact
The Hon Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister richard.marles.mp@aph.gov.au
The Hon Clare O’Neil MP, Minister for Housing clare.oneil.mp@aph.gov.au
The Hon Matt Keogh MP, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs minister@dva.gov.au
Subject:
This Remembrance Day, turn commemoration into action – invest in veteran housing and support
Letter content:
Dear Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Ministers,
Vasey RSL Care, like many ex-service organisations across Australia, has a mission to serve those who served.
Organisations like Vasey RSL Care work tirelessly, stretching every dollar and making limited resources go as far as possible to support veterans who need help the most. They provide housing, care and practical support to people who have given so much to our country.
But they cannot continue to do this alone.
In the lead-up to Remembrance Day, I ask you to take notice and listen to the veteran community. For too long, veterans experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity and other challenges have not received the level of support they need and deserve.
Veterans are three times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population. This is unacceptable. Those who have put their lives on the line for Australia should not have to fight to find a safe and secure place to call home.
Vasey RSL Care is doing important work to address this issue, but it needs the Government’s support to do more. The organisation currently has an Expression of Interest lodged for Round 3 of the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF), seeking funding to build more social and affordable housing for veterans, including those at risk of homelessness.
I strongly encourage the Government to work with Vasey RSL Care and other ex-service organisations, and commit the funding needed to deliver practical housing solutions and wraparound support services for veterans.
We need to see the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide translated into meaningful action. We need more homes, more support and a genuine commitment to ensuring that no veteran is left behind.
Remembrance Day is about honouring those who served. It is also about recognising our responsibility to those who are still here and need our support.
This Remembrance Day, we will be taking notice. Will you?
Please do not let another Remembrance Day pass without meaningful action for the veteran community.
Yours sincerely