December 2025 Steve's Blog

Dear Supporters,

Happy New Year!

I hope you have had a good festive period. I'm looking forward to what 2026 will bring us at TLA.

As we reflect on December at TLA, I want to share some highlights and express my heartfelt gratitude for your continued support and commitment to our mission.

December was a month of achievement, connection, and preparation for the future. We closed the year by supporting over a thousand people across West Yorkshire with compassion and skill, ensuring that those facing homelessness had access to safe accommodation and the support they needed to rebuild their lives. 

A major milestone was the publication of TLA’s first-ever Impact Report, which tells our story more clearly and demonstrates the tangible difference we make every day. This report is a testament to the dedication of our colleagues and partners who work tirelessly to turn lives around.

Click here to read more!

We welcomed new trustees and a new Chair to our Board. Their expertise and energy will help guide us through the next stage of our journey, ensuring strong governance and strategic oversight as we navigate the challenges ahead.

December also gave us the opportunity to celebrate our colleagues through the TLA Colleague Awards. These awards recognised outstanding contributions across the organisation, with nominations highlighting acts of kindness, leadership, and teamwork. It was inspiring to honour those who consistently go above and beyond, reminding us that our strength lies in the people who make TLA what it is.

Behind the scenes, we focused on governance and planning for the year ahead. Key discussions included addressing funding challenges, strengthening partnership working, and exploring opportunities to enhance corporate engagement and fundraising. Events such as the AGM and the Sedulo networking evening proved invaluable for creating connections and sparking ideas for future collaboration. 

Looking forward to 2026, our priorities are clear and ambitious. We aim to become a Registered Provider of Social Housing, increase the number and quality of homes we manage, and invest in colleagues’ learning and wellbeing. Improving data and technology to evidence impact will be a key focus, alongside deepening alliances across West Yorkshire to prevent homelessness upstream. These goals reflect our commitment to innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Thank you for standing with us. Your support enables everything we do. Together, we can continue to turn lives around and create a future where everyone has a place to call home.

Here are some of the things I have been up to in December:

• Attending the Leeds Health and Housing Steering Group
• Travelling to Stratford upon Avon for the Homeless Link Leadership conference - I spoke on a panel on day 2
• Went on the Colleague Awards Teams call - well done to all nominees, highly commended and winners!
• Meeting SLT to plan the coming year
• Talking with Resonance about managing properties for them in Leeds and Wakefield
• Property development: discussions with partners including Leeds City Council, Eastside People, LandAid, Legal & General and Resonance about different ways to acquire more properties for TLA to own and manage
• Seasonal networking event at Sedulo

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The Severe Weather Protocol was triggered recently - I am glad we are part of the response in Leeds, and I'm grateful to colleagues who go to the extra effort that is needed to get rough sleepers indoors during freezing temperatures.

I'm grateful also to all colleagues who have been working over the Christmas and New Year period - earlier in my career I worked on many Christmas Days and was on call over the holiday periods - I know it can be really fun and fulfilling, but also hard work, and it takes you away from friends and family at a special time for some.

I have decided to do a new sponsored fundraising challenge in 2026: 100 hills. I'll aim to summit a hundred hills in Yorkshire and beyond to raise as much money as I can for TLA. More details to follow!

The Centre for Homelessness Impact have done another cash transfer trial following on from the one we were part of. Here is an article about it in the Big Issue:

Homeless people were given £2,000. Here's what happened - Big Issue

2026 promises to be an exciting year for TLA. We have a new Chair in Liz, and 4 other new trustees. We will be welcoming a new Finance Director in February; we have adverts out for brand new posts - an Asset Manager and a Training Coordinator. We are working with partners to progress our property acquisition programme, and of course we continue our partnership approach in Wakefield and Leeds to housing and supporting people, as well as preventing homelessness in any way we can. 

Thanks for all of your support, whatever form that may take. I look forward to working with you this year to make TLA even better, and work with partners to make West Yorkshire a better place for people facing issues with homelessness.

Best wishes
Steve