Recent events, in particular the Black Lives Matter Movement, have shone the spotlight on the continuing prejudice and inequalities facing people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, both here in the UK and throughout the world. I believe that we as an organisation, and as individuals, have a duty to speak up; to take a stand against racism and injustice and ensure that nobody faces discrimination because of their skin colour, race or religion. This extends to our customers, communities, employees and society as a whole.

LYHA has always been committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and this commitment is embedded in all that we do. We achieved the Housing Diversity Network’s accreditation in 2017 and we have continued to build on this over the last three years with an annual action plan. We are about to embark on developing a new action plan as well as reviewing our existing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy and we would welcome your views.

We recognise the value that diversity brings to our communities and we need to have open and honest discussions that foster greater understanding between different groups and move forward together.  I want to ensure that LYHA delivers services that are accessible to all, that we treat everyone fairly and respect the needs of all our customers. Clearly inequality is a broader societal issue that extends beyond the homes and communities we live in. However, individual landlords and the housing sector as a whole have an important role to play in collaborating with one another to bring about positive change: from actively including people from all backgrounds in the decision making process, to building diverse and vibrant communities where people from all ethnic groups can live well and thrive. A warm, safe, secure home in a thriving community can be a foundation to address the inequalities in health, education, employment and opportunity that so many people experience. With our customers and in our communities we are committed to seizing the opportunity we have to make a difference.

We will shortly be launching our new Corporate Plan with a vision that is dedicated to delivering, in our own way, a fairer, more equal and more just society. Over the coming weeks and months, I will be working with colleagues, Board members and partners to review our ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy’ and a key element will be ensuring that we actively engage with all our customer groups, including those that can be harder to reach, so that we gain a greater understanding of individuals’ needs, challenges and priorities.

If you would like to help us develop this strategy, by simply sharing your experiences and ideas, through to being part of an ongoing steering group that helps us to develop and implement the strategy, please do get in touch with us by the end of June 2020 by emailing: info@lyha.co.uk

I would love for you to be part of the conversation to help us get this right.

Mark Pearson, Chief Executive