Published: 26 February 2024
A message from Sandra Coleing, our Executive Director of Corporate Services
Hello there,
February is LGBTQ+ History Month, an annual celebration of the lives of LGBTQ+ people of the past. It takes place every February here in the UK. This is an opportunity not only to celebrate past achievements with pride but also make sure we have the foundations in place to enable LGBTQ+ colleagues and customers to succeed in the present and in the future.
We work with two great organisations within the housing sector to help us to do this. HouseProud is the network for LGBTQ+ people working in social housing, and Rainbow Roofs provides support for LGBTQ+ customers across the North West.
We're delighted and excited to be working with HouseProud towards completing their Pledge. This scheme helps us to demonstrate our commitment to LGBTQ+ customers and colleagues, and show both the support we provide for employees in the workplace and residents in their homes.
As Executive Director of Corporate Services, I'm really proud to sponsor and champion our work on completing the Pledge and becoming a Pledge Pioneer. Houseproud is a great organisation that brings together people across the social housing sector. We can learn from each other and ensure RBH is inclusive and welcoming.
The Pledge commits us to undertaking three core commitments. These commitments are:
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Ensure that LGBTQ+ customers have input at executive/strategic level
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Increase LGBTQ+ visibility through use of the Pledge Pioneer symbol
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Initiate a programme of colleague training to improve understanding of LGBTQ+ lives
Work is already underway to put these into practice, and I will keep both colleagues and customers updated on progress. By taking these steps we aim to achieve HouseProud Pioneer status.
We'd love for more colleagues and customers - whether you are LGBTQ+ or an ally - to get involved with both HouseProud and Rainbow Roofs. To find out more, speak to our Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Strategic Lead, Rachael Ray, on rachael.ray@rbh.org.uk.
Kindest regards,
Sandra Coleing - RBH Executive Director of Corporate Services
LGBTQ+ history month is an important opportunity to recognise LGBTQ+ history, and visibly champion LGBTQ+ equality in the here-and-now and beyond. Signing up to the HouseProud Pledge is a powerful signal that RBH is committed to LGBTQ+ support and equality. The Pledge provides a framework for registered social landlords to develop their inclusion journey. Working towards Pledge Pioneer status requires providers to think about how they are listening to their LGBTQ+ customers, how they understand LGBTQ+ experiences (including by providing staff training) and how they are increasing LGBTQ+ visibility, so it is loud and clear that they support and include their LGBTQ+ residents.
