Member Article

Bradford housing association secures major funds to build bridges across community

Manningham Housing Association (MHA) is celebrating after being awarded more than £120,000 from the Government to run a series of projects to promote shared values and tackle discrimination as well as supporting those members of community affected by Covd-19 in Bradford district.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced that MHA, which manages more than 1,400 homes for around 6,000 residents in Bradford and Keighley, is one of nine organisations nationally chosen to receive support from the Faith, Race and Hate Crime Grants Scheme.

The £121,531.34 in new funding will be used to launch a pioneering new venture, Building Bridges Bradford, to strengthen community cohesion, celebrate difference and challenge prejudices.

Planned activities include workshops, online training and community events, all taking place in Covid-safe environments.

Sessions co-designed with service users and partners will also support individuals and families suffering from personal challenges made worse by the pandemic such as financial pressures, diabetes, cancer, dementia and poor mental health.

The application was overseen by Nasir Hussain, MHA Community Partnerships and Investment Manager.

He said: “Manningham Housing Association has a proud record as a community-led organisation of achieving real and meaningful change across Bradford.

“With this funding, we will be actively supporting people from diverse communities to come together in innovative ways to build new relationships, become better neighbours and strengthen cohesion in the district.

“2020 has been difficult for everyone but we firmly believe that Building Bridges Bradford can be the catalyst to positively impact the lives of large numbers of individuals and families for many years to come.”

Lee Bloomfield, MHA Chief Executive, said: “This award will enable us to really step up our community engagement work.

“In addition to the Government grant, we are putting in extra support from our own resources so we can do even more.

“There are several other grant applications in the pipeline as we work to deliver an ever-growing list of projects through our Community Investment Strategy which provides a framework for us to work with stakeholders to help local residents and build more resilient communities.”

Barrington Billings, MHA Chair: “Huge congratulations to the team for delivering this funding which will really bolster our community engagement activities.

“Investing in and developing diverse neighbourhoods where people want to live and thrive is at the heart of Manningham Housing Association’s mission statement.

“Building Bridges Bradford provides a powerful vehicle for us to play an even greater role in strengthening community relations and social integration.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Barry White .