When Ian Shaw looked for help to find a safe and secure home, he was living on the streets with the daily dangers of sleeping rough.
His situation was so desperate that he had nothing but a small bag of clothes to his name.
But after approaching Housing 21 – a member of the York and North Yorkshire Housing Partnership – Ian was given the fresh start he needed and received the keys to his own flat before his new neighbours then rallied around him to donate items including kitchen utensils and a TV.
With the support of Housing 21’s Helping Hands fund, Ian was also given a bed, towels and other essentials to help him with his move.
“I’m very happy and settled here,” he said, “it’s nice to have my own home instead of being on the street - I feel safe.
“I’m very grateful to Housing 21 and especially the manager Lisa Lee, she helped me when I had nothing. I think the world of her - and also the neighbours of the court for rallying round to help me.”
Ian’s story is just one example of how housing associations are far more than just landlords and have a crucial part to play in solving the housing crisis.
The York and North Yorkshire Housing Partnership is made up of 23 housing association members who have a longstanding track record of supporting communities and delivering the affordable homes people so desperately need.
However, Ian’s story isn’t unique, with around 10,300 people currently stuck on housing waiting lists across the region alongside increasing levels of homelessness.
That’s because our region simply isn’t building enough affordable homes. For many people homeownership has become unattainable, but so has renting with costs in this sector also spiralling out of control.
In 2022/23, there were 877 affordable homes built across our region. But the number of people on housing waiting lists has jumped by 30% over the past six years.
The York and North Yorkshire Housing Partnership is uniquely placed to help alleviate these growing pressures and this is part of our offer to work with the new mayor for York and North Yorkshire set to be elected on May 2.
We have a pivotal role to play as partners and can offer a wide range of housing expertise that’ll help build the right homes in the right places, help the region’s drive to net zero and help boost jobs and the local economy.
We believe that everybody deserves to have a home, somewhere they can not only feel safe, but thrive.
And by working together, we can help deliver this vision for our region and improve the lives of the 830,000 people who call it home.