As Chair of METRO, MHP’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) staff forum, I am really proud that we have achieved our highest ever ranking in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index (WEI) of the UK’s most gay-friendly employers.

This year we ranked 27 in the list of the top100 employers, up from 43 in 2009. Our success reflects our commitment to continual improvement, as the minimum score to win a place on the list increased by ten per cent from last year.

The assessment criteria focussed on our employment policies and procedures, leadership on diversity issues, support for LGBT staff, and support for the wider gay community. The assessors were particularly impressed with the profile we’ve given to the sector for LGBT housing issues, and ’Over Not Out’, Metropolitan Support Trust’s groundbreaking report on the experiences of LGBT asylum seekers in the UK.

In the workplace, MHP recognises that its gay and transgender staff make a valuable contribution to the organisation’s success, and that people perform better when they can be themselves. This is true not only of LGBT staff, but of all employees. In business terms, that’s why valuing diversity makes sense. Following METRO’s success, we have set up similar groups for women, black and ethnic minority staff, and people with disabilities.

While we have made great strides in making the workplace a better environment for LGBT people, we need to make sure that we bring the same approach to our residents and service users. According to research conducted by Stonewall, one in five gay tenants expect worse treatment if they reveal their sexuality to their housing officer.

At MHP, we are working to ensure the LGBT people we house and support are able to enjoy an environment free from fear, discrimination and prejudice. We are doing this by:

• ensuring the policies that apply to our customers are fair and non-discriminatory
• carrying out customer profiling so that we can tailor our services to meet the needs of our residents and service users
• providing compulsory diversity training to all staff
• offering specific services to our LGBT customers.  For example, the Gay Men’s Shared Housing project provides Europe’s only refuge for men escaping domestic violence.

We will only be truly satisfied when the success we’ve achieved for our staff translates into better experiences for our LGBT customers. To do this we need to continue to provide leadership to the sector, and make more organisations aware of the barriers faced by many gay people in accessing housing and support.

Nigel Wrightson, Head of Special Projects and Chair of METRO, Metropolitan Housing Partnership