Sanctuary Housing South West have won an award for their work with The Intercom Trust, which supports isolated and vulnerable Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Communities (LGBT) across the region.

Sanctuary was presented with a certificate for ‘the most effective commitment to training and the best track-record of improvement of any Social Housing Provider known to Intercom’ at the Trust’s Awards for Devon on Wednesday 26th July.

Sanctuary has been working closely with The Intercom Trust for a number of years, creating a partnership which addresses the needs of the LGBT community in the South West.

The Trust, which runs a helpline and advocacy service, provided Sanctuary staff with training in how to manage issues encountered by the LGBT community and deal effectively with cases of harassment. There was also guidance on how to work with people sensitively, by using, for example, appropriate language. Resident Forum members also received training and there are plans to provide refresher courses and training for new workers in the future.