Andy Joined the Action on Homes Conference late last year
Andy Winter, the CEO of BHT Sussex, recently announced his retirement after nearly four decades of dedicated service to the organisation. In his final speech at the Action on Homes Conference, held at the Brighthelm Centre in Brighton and Hove, Winter reflected on the progress made in addressing housing and homelessness over the course of his tenure, as well as the challenges that still lie ahead.
“When I first started at BHT Sussex, the issue of homelessness was not on the radar of most people,” Winter said in his speech. “But over the years, we’ve seen a gradual shift in public awareness and understanding of the issue, and I’m proud of the role BHT Sussex has played in that.”
“last year through our advice and support services, we prevented 1777 households from becoming homeless, 506 of those were in Brighton Hove, over a thousand were in East Sussex and a few in West Sussex we run a Court Duty Scheme in the Lewis, Brighton and Hastings County Courts”
One of Winter’s greatest achievements, as he stated in his speech, has been his tireless campaigning and leadership of BHT Sussex.
The organisation has been at the forefront of efforts to address housing and homelessness in Brighton and Hove, providing a wide range of services to support those in need.
“We’ve come a long way in the past four decades, but there’s still so much more to be done,” Winter said. “As I step down from my role, I urge all of you to continue the fight to ensure that everyone has a safe and secure place to call home.”
In his speech, Winter also highlighted four key points to focus on in the ongoing fight against housing and homelessness:
- Increasing affordable housing options: “We need to work together to build more affordable housing, so that people on low incomes can afford to live in our communities.”
- Addressing the root causes of homelessness: “We need to focus on the underlying issues that lead to homelessness, such as poverty, mental health, and addiction.”
- Improving the effectiveness of services: “We need to ensure that services are tailored to the needs of the individuals they serve, and that they are delivered in a coordinated and effective way.”
- Building stronger communities: “We need to build stronger communities, where everyone has a sense of belonging and is supported to reach their potential.”
As Winter prepares to retire, he leaves behind a legacy of tireless dedication to improving the lives of those affected by housing and homelessness. The entire team of Brighton and Hove Housing Coalition joins in wishing him the best in his next chapter.
The BHT Sussex website is a great resource for those who would like to learn more about the organisation and the work it does, and you can find links to it here.
The Action on Homes Conference was an important platform to reflect on the progress made in addressing housing and homelessness and the challenges that still lie ahead. The tireless work and leadership of Andy Winter at BHT Sussex will always be remembered and appreciated, Thank you for your service Andy, as the fight to ensure that everyone has a safe and secure place to call home continues we wanted to reflect on the passing of the torch to the next person to take the reigns at BHT Sussex.
Brighton and Hove Housing Coalition will be meeting the new CEO David Chaffey next month and will be quizzing him on his plans for BHT Sussex and thoughts around the issues locally and how we can end homelessness and at the very least provide a decent recovery pathway including decent and truly affordable housing across the city and discuss other ways to end this crisis. Which affects thousands and thousands in Brighton and Hove every single year.
The Full Transcript for Andy’s Speech from the Action on Homes Housing and Homelessness conference can be found on the Action on Homes Website Here.