Coming together for positive change – CIH Yorkshire & Humber regional group

We made our way through the pandemic with determination, innovation, and true grit (I love that film, the original one with John Wayne) and here we are again… in for a rough ride (I promise I don’t just watch westerns). It has been a challenging time for organisations and communities, but there’s more to come. With a soaring cost of living crisis, the race to net zero and levelling up challenges, it’s difficult to know where we go next. As a profession, we are going to need as much help as possible. We will all be drawing inspiration from others within the sector and gathering knowledge and experience from the private sectors.

Once again, housing professionals and the work they do will be even more important to keep our communities supported.

As we start the new financial year, it’s important that you remember that the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) is here to help. Being a member has never come with so many benefits, including: access to a wealth of free events and webinars*; up-to-date information and best practices in the housing sector; direct access to our mentoring platform; plus so much more.

Alongside this, CIH recently launched the professional standards, which are based on the premise that housing professionals should always act with integrity, demonstrated by taking responsibility, challenging behaviour, being a role-model, having the right attitude, being honest with others (and yourself) and knowing your limits. Anyone can view and use the CIH professional standards, but members unlock a more comprehensive version which provides an in-depth personalised report offering tailored content and targeted professional development activities.

In addition, each region has a group of like-minded CIH members that come together to help others in the region voice their concerns, identify what they want from CIH as their professional body to support them to be the best they can be, and raise awareness about how members can get involved.

In Yorkshire and Humberside region, we have:

Me – Helen Wordsworth (Lead member)
Matt Lewer, Joseph Roundtree Foundation (Deputy Lead)
Clive Greenwood, Unity Housing Association
Simon Williams, Service Insights
Gurmeet Virdi, Nottinghamshire, YMCA
Chris Standish, Homes England
Simon Thirtle, Ward Hadaway
Helen Smith, Legal and General Affordable Homes
Jonathan Place, Accent Group,
Maxine Wigley, Kier
Stephanie Lacey, HouseMark.

Please do contact us if you would like to join our group. All CIH members are welcome to join us and you could influence CIH’s work, which in turn, raises the bar of delivery to all communities within the region. We also organise social events - there’s no feeling quite like being part of a community of like-minded people who are striving together to create change and do the right thing.

We do hope you will take part, either regularly as a member of the group or as and when you can afford the time. As a sector we need to keep match fit to meet the next round of challenges, be part of the solution and gain traction on making things happen.

Meet Helen Wordsworth

Helen has worked in Housing and been a member of CIH for many years, too many she says to mention!

Currently working as an interim, Helen has worked in a variety of sectors, geographical locations, (mainly Yorkshire and Humberside and London), and roles, from Housing Management and Regeneration through to leading technical service and capital delivery teams.

‘Having a good quality, affordable home, where you feel safe and secure is a fundamental need and I would say should be a right. A home provides you with the foundation that can impact on how well people do at school, find, and retain employment and has a positive impact on your health. I am proud to be part of a profession that helps make homes and services accessible to our communities. CIH, provides us with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to do this.’

You can find out more about Helen or contact her directly via LinkedIn.

Meet Matt Lewer

Matt Lewer joined the CIH Yorkshire & Humber group in 2018 and took up the role of vice-lead the following year. He has spent the majority of his career working for local government in East Yorkshire, but has also been the general manager of non-profit organisation and spent a couple of years working at a national government level for Homes England. Just over a year ago, Matt moved to Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust in York as their service transformation lead.

“I love working in housing, as it is somewhere I feel I am able to make a difference. Over the years I have come in to contact with so many brilliant and dedicated professionals. Being a member of CIH Yorkshire and Humber has helped me to expand my network and allowed me to see parts of the sector I didn’t know about previously”.

You can find out more about Matt or contact him directly via Twitter (@HousingMatt) and LinkedIn.

Meet Steph Lacey

Steph is a newcomer to the Yorkshire & Humber CIH regional group, although was previously involved around a decade ago. Having grown up in York, she moved away to Birmingham in the ‘90s to study and didn’t return for some years. After graduating from the University of Birmingham, Steph studied for a postgraduate diploma in Housing through which she became a fully qualified member of the CIH.

Now living in Ryedale District, Steph works for Housemark as their Consultancy Lead. She has held positions across the spectrum in social housing, including housing management, homelessness, strategy, research and project management. Steph has worked for local authorities, housing associations, universities and a Local Enterprise Partnership, in the West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber, New Zealand, and Essex.

She is particularly passionate about tackling housing inequalities and improving the homes and communities in which social housing tenants live.