Leeds Housing Association Wins Prestigious National Award
By Barry White
At a glance
Unity Homes and Enterprise, a Leeds-based BME organisation, won the Best Social Value Project of the Year at the Housing Executive Awards 2026 and was highly commended in the Housing Association of the Year category. The award recognises their efforts in enriching communities beyond just providing housing, including promoting entrepreneurship and offering business support services. This recognition highlights Unity's impact on improving life chances for diverse communities in Leeds.
Unity Homes and Enterprise has won Best Social Value Project of the Year at the Housing Executive Awards 2026. The Leeds-based BME organisation was also “Highly Commended” in the Housing Association of the Year category.
The Housing Executive Awards celebrate the UK’s most innovative projects in the social housing sector, as well as the people that make them happen. The Best Social Value Project Award recognises initiatives “explicitly aimed at enriching the lives and communities of residents, beyond building homes.”
The winner’s trophy was presented to Unity Homes and Enterprise Chief Executive Cedric Boston at an evening ceremony held at the home of Bolton Wanderers Football Club.
Unity was formed in 1987 with the objective of building a strong, BME-led, community housing association to address the needs of black and minority ethnic communities in Leeds. It now manages almost 1,400 properties for tenants from all communities and ethnic backgrounds, including developments in Huddersfield and Cleckheaton.
Making the association unique in the social housing sector, Unity actively promotes entrepreneurship as a career to individuals who are not traditionally encouraged by the sector to follow this path. Alongside the provision 153 affordable business units for more than 140 diverse businesses employing over 1250 people in Leeds, Unity offers a range of advice and support services for people to become self-employed, receive training and education, and gain a job for the first time or after a long period of economic inactivity.
Cedric Boston, Unity Homes and Enterprise Chief Executive, said:
“We are thrilled to receive the Housing Executive Best Social Value Project Award, one of the sector’s most prestigious national accolades. “It is a credit to the efforts of a fantastic team at Unity which is absolutely dedicated to improving life chances for people living in hard-to-reach communities in Leeds.
“We offer the full range of business advice and wraparound support services that start with outreach in the community, encouraging local people to see business as a career opportunity. “Support can begin in our low-cost business hub, where people can develop and launch their ideas, and continue as they expand into one or more units before growing beyond our centres with stability and ongoing professional assistance.
“Over the past 12 months, we have achieved an outstanding business tenant satisfaction rating of 9.25, underlining our reputation as a supportive, responsive, relationship‑driven provider of business space. Our tenant retention rate remained at 99%.
“It is fantastic that these achievements have been recognised by the awards judges.”
Harry Palmer, Editor of Housing Executive magazine, said:
“Unity Homes and Enterprise is a well-documented organisation here at Housing Executive, and we’re strong supporters of the good work done by the whole Unity team. “It was great to see this reflected in the judges’ decisions on the night, winning Best Social Value Project and being Highly Commended in our Housing Association of the Year category.
“A massive congratulations to Cedric and the wider team, and I can’t wait to see their positive impact continue to grow.”
Editorial insight
Recognition at a national level for Unity Homes and Enterprise highlights the ongoing importance of social value initiatives within the UK’s housing sector. Awards of this kind serve not only as a mark of achievement for the winning organisation but also draw attention to the broader role housing associations can play in supporting economic participation and community wellbeing, particularly in areas with diverse populations.
For local authorities, sector professionals, and community groups, Unity’s approach demonstrates how targeted support and entrepreneurial opportunities can be integrated into housing provision. The association’s work with underrepresented groups and its support for business development may offer a model for others seeking to address economic inactivity and social inclusion within their own communities.
Story ideas and journalist angles
Local/communityImpact of Unity Homes and Enterprise’s Award on Leeds’ BME Community
Unity Homes and Enterprise's recent award win highlights the significant impact the organisation has on the BME community in Leeds, addressing housing needs and promoting entrepreneurship.
Target audience local news outlets and community-focused publications Story potential 7/10 Industry trendThe Role of Housing Associations in Supporting Entrepreneurship
Exploring how housing associations like Unity Homes are expanding their role beyond providing homes to fostering entrepreneurship and economic activity within local communities.
Target audience national news outlets, business publications Story potential 8/10Issued by Vanbar Associates. Distributed by WebPR UK.
About Vanbar Associates
About Unity Homes and Enterprise Unity Housing Association was formed in 1987 with the objective of building a strong, BME-led, community housing association to address the needs of black and minority ethnic communities in Leeds. The initial focus was on Chapeltown, but this has widened to other areas of the city including Harehills, Beeston, Holbeck, Chapel Allerton and Pudsey. Alongside two schemes in Huddersfield, a new affordable housing development has recently been completed in Cleckheaton. With a turnover of £6.8 million and an annual investment in new and existing homes of around £6.5 million, Unity now manages over 1,386 properties for tenants from all communities and ethnic backgrounds. In 2000 the association established its not-for-profit subsidiary company, Unity Enterprise, to support local entrepreneurial activity. It now provides 153 affordable business units for almost 100 diverse businesses which employ more than 1,250 people. Unity Employment Services (UES) was set up in 2011 to support Unity tenants and their surrounding communities in accessing employment and training opportunities. Over the past year, the team has helped 94 people into employment, 351 into training and eight into voluntary roles. 60 of those benefitting from the team’s help are Unity housing tenants. Since 2011, UES has supported a total of 3,131 people into employment and training.