Former Commonweal Chair Steve Douglas has died

Commonweal Housing is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of St Mungo’s CEO and former Commonweal Chair Steve Douglas.

Steve was a leading figure in the housing industry with a career spanning more than 25 years including leading St Mungo’s and before that, Altair, a housing and regeneration consultancy group, Housing Corporation and Spitalfields Housing Association.

Steve sat on the Commonweal Housing Board of Trustees for nine years, including a year as our Chair where he played a key part in our development on our mission as an action-learning charity. He left in 2020 to join St Mungo’s.

Steve was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2019 for services to housing. He was a major part of the formation of the Kerslake Commission on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping, set up to examine and learn from the emergency response which supported people sleeping rough during Covid-19.

Ashley Horsey, Chief Executive at Commonweal Housing, said: “Steve was a great friend to me and us as an organisation. His sudden passing has come as a shock to us all and our thoughts are specifically with his family and with all those that knew him. Steve has been a major force in our sector for decades and his time with Commonweal helped to propel the organisation forward. He will be deeply missed.”