Colleagues from believe housing attended a flagship military ceremony in recognition of its unwavering support to the forces community.
The social housing provider, which has 600-plus employees and manages more than 18,000 homes in the northeast of England, secured a Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award in the summer.
And on Thursday, November 14, Executive Director of Communities and Customer Services, Nik Welsh, and Resourcing Specialist, Jane Seymour, attended the awards’ annual celebration lunch and royal gun salute in York.
They joined fellow ERS Gold Award winners from the North of England and Yorkshire and the Humber at The Hospitium, in Museum Gardens, for the official presentation of the award.
The Employer Recognition Scheme rewards employers that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community with a bronze, silver, or gold award.
Organisations must also align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant, which believe housing first signed up to in January 2020.
By August that year it had achieved the bronze award and went on to receive silver before achieving gold in summer 2024.
Nik said that believe housing’s commitment to the forces community applies to both colleagues and customers.
She said: “We have worked hard to create an environment that supports armed forces personnel, veterans, and their families and we encourage our partners and contractors to do the same.
“Receiving this gold award is an achievement we are very proud of, but it doesn’t stop there for believe housing.
“We will continue to support defence and inspire others to do the same.”
As an inclusive employer, believe housing proactively recruits from the forces community and continually seeks to improve its colleague offer, which recently included making it easier to take paid leave and volunteer days for military service.
It also works with organisations such as the Armed Forces Outreach Service, which believe housing part funds, to support customers from the forces community. This support ranges from providing veterans with employability advice and help to furnish their home to awarding grants to local cadet groups.
Alan Smith, Chief Executive of believe housing, said: “We are immensely proud to have achieved this gold award.
“Veterans and reservists can bring exceptional talent, skills and experience to an employer and we seek to embrace those attributes, ensuring that a military background is not a barrier to working with us.
“It works alongside everything else we do to be an inclusive organisation at every level, giving people opportunities to enhance their skillset, use their interests and experience and redirect them into communities after their service is complete.
“It really fits with our ‘life without barriers’ vision.”
New homes designed with residents’ needs and energy efficiency in mind have more than hit the brief, including for the parents of a disabled boy who were among the first people to move in.
Lives and homes are being put at risk by people failing to charge their electric vehicles and scooters safely.
During Electrical Safety Week we are sharing potentially lifesaving tips with customers.
believe housing colleagues and contractors have upgraded a school fence to help make the grounds feel safer and look smarter.
Community groups struggling with rising costs can apply for a £10,000 grant to help run new or existing services and activities.
