Earlier this year, we sent a letter to our customers about a proposal for South Yorkshire Housing Association (SYHA) to join Places for People (PfP). We explained why we were proposing the partnership, and invited you to share your views and feedback in our customer consultation.
We committed to sharing the SYHA Board’s decision on SYHA becoming a subsidiary of PfP. The Board made the decision by considering:
- Feedback from the customer consultation
- SYHA’s financial position, and the investment needed to provide safe, high-quality homes and services
- How we can offer our customers and communities the most security, opportunities, and benefits.
We can confirm that both the SYHA and PfP Boards have approved SYHA joining PfP as a subsidiary. A subsidiary is a company that is owned by another organisation.
We are planning to join PfP as a subsidiary on 1st December 2025. However, there are still some legal processes that need to be completed and this may affect the timescales for joining PfP. In December, we will write to our customers to confirm whether we have formally joined PfP as a subsidiary.
Here’s a recap on why we’re partnering with PfP, what it means for you, and more information about the customer consultation.
Why we’re joining Places for People
PfP is the UK’s leading Social Enterprise, and committed to building homes and communities where everyone is welcome and can thrive. By joining PfP, we can share resources and provide great homes and services. Working together, SYHA and PfP are stronger and can ensure further investment, influence and growth in South Yorkshire.
The partnership will also improve our financial position. This includes our ability to:
- pay for repairs and maintenance in SYHA homes, neighbourhoods, and communal spaces
- pay bills, salaries, and anything else to keep the organisation running
- ensure we have funds for building new social homes, investment and unexpected costs.
We want to build on our excellent Tenant Satisfaction Measures scores by making improvements and continuing to offer great homes and services. However, in the long-term, if we don’t secure a partner, we may not have the resources to provide services at the standard our customers expect and deserve.
You can read more about the partnership, including the answers to Frequently Asked Questions, on our website, or get in touch with us by emailing enquiries@syha.co.uk or calling 0800 1380 380 if you have any questions.
What the partnership means for you
- SYHA and PfP are committed to making a positive difference to customers from both organisations. Investment in homes and services will increase, and we will have access to more resources make improvements.
- The SYHA name and brand won’t change, and we will keep our Rockingham Street head office in Sheffield. Your tenancy agreement will stay the same, and we will still provide the same support and services.
- We will still be responsible for the management of your services, and you will probably have the same Housing Officer, Keyworker, or other contact at SYHA. However, as is normal for any organisation, this can change because of people joining and leaving teams.
Customer consultation
We invited you to share your views about the partnership as part of our customer consultation. Thank you very much to everyone that joined us at an event or shared your views. We worked with independent consultants Campbell Tickell to capture your feedback and share it with the SYHA Board.
The consultation period lasted from 16 July to 10 September 2025. We hosted 14 consultation events, which included representatives from SYHA, Places for People, and Campbell Tickell. Customers could also share their feedback by getting in touch with us or completing on online survey.
Nearly 80% of customers are neutral or supportive of the partnership. The consultation findings were written up into a full report for the SYHA and PfP Boards. We will work with PfP to take all comments, concerns or objections seriously, and would like to reiterate that PfP have committed to improving customer services through our partnership.
Next steps
We will write to you in December with more information about the partnership, and to confirm whether we have joined PfP as a subsidiary.
If you have any questions, get in touch by emailing enquiries@syha.co.uk or calling 0800 1380 380.
