Southway’s Pledge to Those Who Serve

Southway Housing has signed the Armed Forces Covenant as a pledge to support servicemen and women, and their families, in accessing affordable housing and employment opportunities

The Covenant is a promise to ensure that those who serve, or have served in the past, are treated fairly. The local authorities, businesses, charities and individuals who sign make a commitment to delivering the best possible outcomes for the Armed Forces Community. For housing providers like Southway, this means supporting veterans and their families through the offer of housing priority, employment and apprenticeship opportunities, in addition to raising awareness amongst our staff, customers and the wider community.

In May 2018, we attended Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s inaugural Armed Forces Summit, which focused on how housing providers in Greater Manchester can increase their support for servicemen and women. At the Summit, we committed to the Armed Forces Covenant and pledged to deliver a ‘guaranteed minimum offer’ of priority housing, employment and apprenticeship opportunities to both veterans and their families.

On the 25^th of October 2018, we gathered with other housing providers at the Imperial War Museum North, to discuss how we can collectively deliver the aspirations of the covenant. We heard presentations from the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and Warren Smith, Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, on how we can offer support, both regionally and locally.

We took part in some brilliant discussions on pathways into housing, collaborating with other support organisations, including Walking with the Wounded and Nacro, to ensure we had a firm idea of how to implement our new commitment.

Our Chief Executive, Karen Mitchell, officially signed the pledge in November 2018. Karen commented:

“Our innovative partnership between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Greater Manchester Housing Providers has provided us with a strong foundation to fulfil our pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant. We are proud to support those who serve and will be dedicating the coming months to turning our written commitment to them into a reality.”

Karen Mitchell, Chief Executive

 We will keep you updated on how we plan to deliver on the promises in our pledge this year on our website and newsletters.

 If you'd like to find out more about the covenant, or are interested in signing your own pledge, see the Armed Forces Covenant Website.