The original four housing associations:

The Leeds Tenants Housing Society Limited was formed in 1950 and was registered as a Friendly Society, affiliated to the National Federation of Housing Societies. Its founder, Charles Charlesworth, wanted to tackle homelessness which had risen in the years following World War II. Mr Charlesworth had been impressed with the co-operative housing movement in Sweden and based Leeds Tenants Housing Society on this model.

Yorkshire Cottage Housing Association Limited was founded in 1952. It provided some general family housing, but focused primarily on accommodation for the elderly.

Aggrey Housing Limited was formed in 1955 and named after the Ghanaian educationist Dr J.E.K. Aggrey (1875-1927). It was the country’s first dedicated housing provider for Black and Minority Ethnic communities, which aimed to support the integration of newcomers to Leeds. 

Aire Valley Housing Limited was founded in 1962 as a development consortium which focused on the design, contruction and management of properties for 'fairly' priced rents.  

Where we are now:

Today we have our head office in Headingley, Leeds. We build and manage homes to rent across Yorkshire (as well as a small number of shared ownership properties). We currently provide homes to 1,600 individuals and families.

We remain a forward thinking, dynamic organisation that strives to be the best we can be. The core values of the orginal housing associations which formed Leeds and Yorkshire Housing Association remain embodied in our vision today.