Working together – why we’re part of the West Yorkshire Housing Partnership
Connect Housing provides over 3500 homes across West Yorkshire, which means in some areas, we only have a few.
That’s why we make it a priority to work closely with other housing providers, local councils and the regional mayor’s office to build partnerships that help us make a bigger difference locally.
One of the ways we do this is through the West Yorkshire Housing Partnership, which we’re a member of. The partnership brings together over 15 social landlords in West Yorkshire – including Leeds and Kirklees Council – and the mayor’s office. Between us, we manage over 170,000 homes across the region.
Helen Lennon, Christine Fox and Martyn Broadest
The partnership has been going for five years. Our chief executive, Helen Lennon, chaired it for the first three, and now chairs the mayor’s dementia taskforce, which works with health and social care providers to improve the experiences of people living with dementia. She also leads a new group focussed on working together in neighbourhoods.
Our Director of Home, Martyn Broadest, has been one of the regional leaders on energy efficiency of social housing. So far, the partnership has secured over £60m in funding, which – when matched with investment by the housing providers (including Connect) – means that £120m is being spent over five years to improve around 8,000 homes. Our Head of Asset Investment also works with other landlords to share good practice in maintaining existing homes, with a focus on tackling damp, mould and condensation.
Christine Fox, Director of Customer and Community Services, was active in the health and housing group which resulted in Connect accessing funding for staff to receive trauma informed practice training, helping us strengthen our supportive and empathetic approach when working with customers.
While building working relationships takes time, working in partnership helps us do more and do it better. It means more investment in homes, stronger services, and better value for money for you and your neighbours.
