Created by HouseProud in 2019 and delivered in partnership with Stonewall Housing, the LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge provides a framework for housing associations to demonstrate their commitment to LGBTQ+ residents and colleagues.
The pledge challenges organisations to review their culture, practices and services, ensuring they are actively working to create safe, supportive and welcoming spaces for all.
By signing the LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge, we are making a clear statement about our values. We are committing to putting inclusion at the centre of everything we do, and we are holding ourselves accountable for ensuring LGBTQ+ people feel respected, supported and celebrated across our homes, workplaces and communities.
Our Executive Director of Governance, Sophie Atkinson, said: “It’s always good practice to look at our ways of working and see how we can improve.
What is unique about the LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge is that it requires customers and colleagues to work together to identify and drive solutions.
“We are actively seeking colleagues who are keen to get involved and we have secured support from our Customer Panel which us helping us develop our action plan.
“As a bisexual woman, I’m excited to work in partnership with both colleagues and customers to take this forward at GSA.”
Our Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications, Steve Hayes, adds: “We employ 1,600 people and own and manage 25,000 homes, so many thousands of our colleagues and customers will be part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We want to do all we can to be an inclusive organisation and ensure we aren’t doing anything that could unwittingly discriminate against people who work for GSA or live in our homes and communities. Signing up to the LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge is a great way to hold ourselves to account on this goal and be part of a network of organisations and professionals with the same ambition.”
The LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge also provides an opportunity for learning, reflection and growth. It encourages housing providers to listen more closely to LGBTQ+ voices and experiences, to better understand the challenges that exist, and to embed this insight into how services are designed and delivered.
We are committed to building a culture of inclusion and by joining the LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge we are taking another step forward in ensuring that everyone, colleagues, customers and people living in our communities, can feel safe, valued and empowered to thrive.
Find out more about the LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge here.