South Liverpool Homes signs up to LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge

Published: 4 July 2025

South Liverpool Homes (SLH) has taken a significant step in championing equality by signing up to the LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge Scheme, delivered by Stonewall Housing and HouseProud.  

By joining the scheme, SLH is pledging to work towards Pioneer Status, a demanding benchmark that requires tangible progress and engagement with LGBTQ+ residents. The Pledge Promise underlines our determination to go beyond compliance, embedding LGBTQ+ inclusion at every level of the organisation. 

SLH’s Chief Executive of South Liverpool Homes, Anna Bishop, is delighted to have signed up to this initiative: “Supporting the LGBTQ+ community isn’t about meeting minimum standards for us, it’s about putting our values into action and truly listening to the voices in our communities.”  

“We are passionate about creating an environment where everyone feels respected and understood. Our work with the Pledge Scheme is about making real changes, not ticking boxes – it’s important that everyone across our organisation makes a concerted effort to create communities that are inclusive for all.” 

In alignment with our value of inclusivity, we recently celebrated Pride Month with a series of activities both in our offices and throughout our communities. Highlights included an impactful ‘lunch and learn’ session with a local LGBTQ+ advocate, who shared powerful personal experiences of being a trans woman. We also hosted a community celebration at our community garden, Grow Speke, giving colleagues and customers an opportunity to connect and reflect on the importance of Pride. 

Recognising that visibility and support are important, we will build on our training programme for all colleagues. The journey to Pioneer accreditation will involve submitting evidence of increased LGBTQ+ visibility, meaningful input from residents and ongoing education. 

As part of our commitment, SLH is partnering with Mind Connect to launch a weekly programme focused on mental health and wellbeing for the LGBTQ+ community in south Liverpool. These welcoming, person-centred sessions held every Monday at The Market Place Social, our social space in Speke, aim to provide a safe space to talk, share and learn practical strategies for emotional health and self-esteem. 

We are also holding focus groups with LGBTQ+ tenants and residents to hear about their experiences living in the south Liverpool area and how services can be more inclusive. These are taking place in person on Thursday 31 July, 10am–12pm at The Market Place Social, Speke and an online on Tuesday 12 August, 5pm–7pm. 

“We know that understanding the real challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community is key to offering meaningful support,” added Anna Bishop. “Our promise is to listen, learn and keep striving for an environment where everyone feels at home.”