The network for LGBTQ+ people working in social housing
RIP Maari Nastari
Everybody at HouseProud past and present is very sad to hear that our beautiful friend collaborator and board member has died.
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Maari's legacy will live on in her work at the Star Project and Stonewall Housing
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We celebrate her memory and send her heartfelt sympathies to her family and friends.
Meet your HouseProud Management Board
Click on the photographs for Linked-In profiles
Co-chairs
Ben Rainforth-Gott he/his
Ben is Director of Organisational Development with Clarion Housing Group – a strategic HR Director with over 20 years experience, in all facets of Human Resource management, business change and transformation.
Ben is an openly gay executive who is an advocate for inclusion and education of others through authentic lived experience, and in gifting the voice back to those whom need to be heard most.
'I look forward to bringing my diverse experience to the board of HouseProud, working alongside other esteemed board members and with partner organisations to bring about the change that is needed to support LGBTQ+ people in the housing sector'
Kate Górnás she/hers
Kate is a dedicated member of the User Experience Design team at Places for People, one of the UK’s leading housing organisations. Over the past three years, she has spearheaded numerous equality and diversity campaigns, demonstrating her commitment to fostering an inclusive environment.
Kate has been a beacon of excellence within her organisation, ensuring that everyone feels secure and valued. She has taken charge of internal communications and played a pivotal role in nurturing a thriving LGBTQ+ community. As the co-founder and co-chair of the EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) group, her efforts have enhanced LGBTQ+ visibility and rights within the housing sector. Her dedication is evident through her active participation in events such as Pride and various outreach initiatives.
Originally from Poland, Kate has always been a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. She was a proud supporter of the local Stonewall organisation and an active member of the LGBTQ+ community. Her career across Europe includes working with premier design agencies, where she realised the impact her skills could have in promoting social good.
Identifying as bisexual, Kate has a particular interest in mental health, further enriching her advocacy and support for diverse communities.
Board Members
Andrew Allocca he/his
Andrew is the Head of Development at Eastlight Community Homes, where he leads the development and delivery of new affordable housing schemes.
With over two decades of experience in the housing sector, Andrew began his career in 2000 in supported housing for young people at Brentwood Foyer under Anglia Housing. He transitioned into management and later into development in 2005 with Circle. In 2011, he was appointed Regeneration Manager at Harlow Council, and in 2015, he joined Greenfields Community Housing—now Eastlight Community Homes.
In addition to his housing career, Andrew is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion. He founded Eastlight’s LGBTQ+ network, EastPride, in 2023 and served as the inaugural chair.Prior to his work in housing, Andrew was a Qualified Youth Worker with Essex County Council, where he spearheaded youth services in Harlow. Notably, he established Essex’s first LGBTQ+ youth group in the mid-1990s and provided training on LGBTQ+ inclusion for youth workers.
Over the past 30 years, Andrew has held various additional roles outside of work, including serving as a Member of the West Essex Fostering Panel, Chair of Governors, Academy Trustee, and Chair of an Academy Board in the education sector.
Alison Bennett she/hers
Ali is Director of Homes at Raven Housing Trust leading Development, Sales, Asset Management and Health and Safety and Compliance.
She has a passion for improving how we maintain existing homes and build new ones. She is an advocate for improving the efficiency of the build process and is Chair of Building Better. Ali is a Board member of the Good Homes Alliance and committed to improving the sustainability of housing association stock as well as building sustainable and affordable homes.
Ali is a Chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Housing, a full member of the Association of Project Managers and qualified in programme management. Ali is the Treasurer of Brighton and Hove’s Rainbow Families Group- a network of LGBTQ+ families in the area.
Ali is an advocate for improving diversity in the sector, specifically women in construction and asset management.
Sophie Collinge she/hers
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Sophie has worked for housing associations for over eight years and has a strong commitment to the housing sector and the residents that it assists.
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In 2018 Sophie became the first employee in the recently merged Peabody to transition and has since been an active participant in the Peabody LGBT+ Network. Sophie is on the steering group of this committee, representing trans and gender non-conforming employees, and is currently working with the committee to develop a policy for employees intending to transition at work.
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Sophie has helped with increasing awareness in the company of trans issues and employees through participation in related information sessions and also by publishing on the company Intranet about the significance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, as well as some personal history of her journey.
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Sophie has also been active in regards to trans issues outside of work for many years, attending events and being part of the discussion. Sophie is passionate about the issues and the people that make up the community and she is dedicated to helping spread awareness to improve the lives of trans people.
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Simon Durham he/his
With 13 years’ experience in social housing at Moat, Simon is dedicated to helping to build stronger communities for customers and residents. As the Senior Customer Experience Trainer at Moat, Simon delivers a variety of training programs to enhance colleagues' skills and knowledge of Social Housing.
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Beyond his day-to-day role, Simon is committed to nurturing an inclusive workplace. As Co-Chair of #MoatProud, the LGBTQ+ colleague network, Simon works closely with Moat’s Policy and Inclusion team to ensure colleagues have a safe and welcoming environment. Simon has a proven track record of organising events, advocating for policy changes, and contributing to wider Pride initiatives for Moat and the communities Moat are a part of.
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Simon is passionate about using his expertise and experience to make a positive impact on the social housing sector.
'By working together, we can all create communities where everyone can thrive and be their authentic selves.'
Talia Knoble-Gershon she/hers
Talia works for Haringey Council as a Housing Partnerships officer.
Her role is to proactively develop and maintain relationships between the Council and external partners in the borough including registered providers, the voluntary and community sector and housing developers. She sits on the Housing Strategy and Policy Team in the council and is very involved in working on the homelessness strategy.
Talia has wanted to work in social housing since the age of 12 and wrote her dissertation on the lack of adequate social housing provision for the LGBTQ+ Community in the United Kingdom.
"As a queer woman working in social housing, I am honoured to be supporting the board and the amazing work it continues to do. "
Jamie Hickling he/his
Jamie works with Stride’s Community Housing Association leading teams delivering supported housing, affordable housing and a community hub. Back in 2023 Strides partnered with STAR Support bringing the UK’s first for-and-by LGBTQI+ Domestic Abuse refuge.
The LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge, by HouseProud and delivered by Stonewall Housing is supported with an advisory board of experts which Jamie CoChairs.
Jamie is also the trustee of an arts Charity in Lambeth- Equalities Work promoting social justice through arts and education.Jamie is passionate about lifelong learning opportunities and thinks it is never too late to learn from each other.
“I’m proud of everything that HouseProud has achieved and enjoy seeing the network go from strength to strength. Our newly formed board has experience and skills by the bucket load and I can’t wait to see the future we shape in the social housing sector.”
Tom Hogan he/his
Tom is Head of Customer Experience - Housing at Sandwell MBC in the West Midlands, where he has worked in a variety of tenancy and estate management roles for 18 years.
Tom is the co-chair of Sandwell's LGBTQ+ employee network and a member of the Council's EDI Commission.
Tom is also a member of Midland Sport Pride Network and has run a number of initiatives to increase sports participation amongst the LGBTQ community in Birmingham
Miles Lanham he/his
Miles is CEO at CHISEL Housing across London and South East England, and is also Vice-Chair of Coin Street Housing Co-op on London's South Bank. CHISEL has opened the first LGBTQ+ specific supported housing for younger people at risk of homelessness in Brighton
Miles works on transforming housing management departments, leading and developing customer-centric models. He has recently supported Octavia, Notting Hill Genesis and Newlon Housing Trust on their journey to more resident-centred provision.
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Miles established G-Force, the Genesis LGBT Network group in 2010, the Genesis LGBT Residents Forum in 2012, and was the founder of HouseProud in 2014, observing how well the different Housing Associations networked at diversity conferences. Miles was accepted onto the coveted Stonewall Leadership Conference in 2013
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He co-chaired HouseProud for two years from its inception, commissioned the ground-breaking research in partnership with the University of Surrey and on becoming Communications Officer created the website. Miles was nominated LGBT Diversity Champion of the Year in the 2017 NatWest LGBT Awards.
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Miles is also a passionate member of the CIH International Travel Group and travels abroad frequently to share best practice and global housing solutions. Miles's visits have taken him to Copenhagen, Detroit, Mumbai, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego and Lille.
Thelma Ndaula she/hers
Thelma is a long standing supporter of HouseProud and is the chair of charity Say it Loud Club
Pamela Sinnott she/hers
Pamela is the Diversity and Inclusion Business Partner at Certitude, London’s leading adult social care provider for individuals with learning disabilities, autistic people, and those with mental health support needs. She is responsible for the strategic delivery of Certitude’s three-year Diversity and Inclusion strategy, ensuring colleagues can perform their best work to support the people Certitude serves, enabling them to live the lives they want.
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With a 25-year track record in social housing, Pamela has extensive experience in care and support. She has previously worked at MTVH and Notting Hill Genesis, where she led initiatives in new business and service development.
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Pamela has chaired several successful LGBT+ Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and resident network groups. She joined HouseProud in its inaugural year as co-chair and currently serves on the London board of Women in Social Housing (WISH).
Andrew White he/his
​Andrew is co-chair of HouseProud NorthWest and a board member of HouseProud. He has been involved in HouseProud since 2018, joining to help raise the profile and voice of LGBTQ+ colleagues and customers working and living in social housing across the north-west.
Andrew has over 25 years’ experience working in social housing, most recently as head of independent living for Irwell Valley Homes, based in Manchester, overseeing the delivery of services to customers living in a broad range of supported and sheltered housing, as well as the organisation’s tenancy sustainment services. He is an active member of Irwell Valley’s Equality & Diversity forum, a multi-disciplinary group committed to delivering the organisation’s EDI Strategy.
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A keen advocate for HouseProud through his own professional networks, Andrew has presented on our work at events hosted by the National Housing Federation, at the CIH housing conference, and with the Housing Diversity Network.
Andrew believes that sharing and gaining good practice from our members will strengthen the services delivered to our LGBTQ+ customers and colleagues, encouraging good practice to be picked up by organisations across the country.
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