alan smith

Alan became chief executive of believe housing in April 2023.

He has been with the organisation since its earliest days in 2015 and was previously the Executive Director of Investment, Growth and Performance.

Alan has worked for housing associations for more than 15 years and has been directly involved in setting up three housing associations in County Durham, though he has more than 40 years’ experience in social housing.

He is Chair of the North East Housing Partnership’s ‘Better Lives’ workstream, a group that is working to improve lives and opportunities for all through poverty reduction, skills, employment and family wellbeing.

Alan said: “We’ve made strong progress in our early years and see clear opportunities to build on this momentum – continuing to improve services for our customers both now and into the future.

“In particular by working collaboratively with our peers, we are able to support residents far beyond the provision of housing alone. Through employment support, community investment and a focus on financial inclusion, housing providers help residents access opportunities and build skills, strengthening the resilience of communities across the region.”