Stonewall Housing is the leading national charity supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) people of all ages across the UK who are experiencing homelessness or living in unsafe environments.
Orwell proudly supports the LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge, demonstrating our commitment to equality, inclusion and safe housing. By joining the pledge, we aim to empower LGBTQ+ customers to live authentically and feel confident sharing their needs and experiences within our communities.
To mark LGBTQ+ History Month, we spoke with Jack, (he/him) LGBTQ Housing Pledge Coordinator at Stonewall Housing who shared some of the most common challenges LGBTQ+ people face when accessing or maintaining housing, the everyday actions colleagues can take to help residents feel safer and more supported, and what the future may hold for LGBTQ+ housing.
What is the LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge?
The pledge was originally known as the House-Proud Pledge for the first six years. Then two years ago, Stonewall Housing became the delivery partner of the Pledge. It grew out of a piece of research called No Place Like Home in 2017 where the initial research explored the experiences of LGBTQ+ people living in social housing across England and Wales.
What did the research show?
The findings showed signs of hypervigilance, with people altering their homes to hide their identities during visits from housing staff due to fears of discrimination. Many lacked trust that landlords would take hate crime or discrimination seriously. Overall, respondents reported feeling unsafe and disconnected in their homes and communities.
How does the pledge help housing providers create safer and more inclusive environments?
I work closely with social housing providers to spot gaps, tackle challenges and strengthen support for LGBTQ+ residents. This includes advising on visibility initiatives like rainbow lanyards or the Rainbow Laces campaign. Our monthly signatory forums bring together 90 housing providers to share learnings and good practice in a supportive, inclusive space.
What is the most common challenges LGBTQ+ people face when accessing or maintaining housing?
Many face homophobic or transphobic abuse, unstable housing and discrimination when accessing services. When the person you turn to for help holds those biases, your right to safe housing is compromised. Our No Place Like Home research highlights how fear of further discrimination stops many from reporting hate crime, insights that directly shaped the creation of the pledge.
What small actions can people take to make LGBTQ+ customers feel safer and more supported?
Visual cues such as pronoun badges and ally pins can help customers feel safer in your organisation. It's important that coincides with training, so colleagues know how to respond respectfully in different situations – for example if they are visiting someone who is trans or queer. Normalising inclusive conversations and challenging discrimination or hostility wherever it arises are also small, everyday ways that you can embed into LGBTQ+ inclusive practises.
How do you see the future of LGBTQ+ housing support evolving?
We now have 90 housing providers of all sizes signed up to the Pledge, and LGBTQ+ inclusion is becoming a core part of conversations across the sector. With regulators paying closer attention to residents’ experiences, I’m confident we’ll keep pushing improving outcomes for marginalised people.
If you would like to find out more about EDI at Orwell, please visit: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Orwell | Orwell Housing
