Former Commonweal Trustee Jeremy Swain has died

Commonweal Housing is deeply saddened to hear of the death this week of Jeremy Swain, a former Trustee of Commonweal Housing and respected housing sector leader.

Jeremy was involved with Commonweal for a decade, spending seven years as part of our first advisory panel from 2010, before returning as a Trustee for three years between 2019 and 2022.

He was integral in the launch and delivery of Peer Landlord – a supportive shared housing pilot project for individuals with lower general needs – run in partnership between homelessness charity Thames Reach and Commonweal. Jeremy spent 19 years as Chief Executive at Thames Reach and was most recently its Chair of the Board.

After leaving Thames Reach Jeremy joined the Department for Housing, Levelling Up and Communities making a significant impact as a senior advisor on rough sleeping and homelessness.  Jeremy was well connected across the housing and homelessness sector holding a number of non-executive and other roles with the likes of the London Housing Foundation and the Centre for Homelessness Impact amongst others.

Ashley Horsey, Chief Executive at Commonweal Housing, said: “I was privileged to have known and worked with Jeremy over many years, he helped me when I first joined Commonweal Housing as part of my first advisory panel – his advice always so generously given and so gratefully received. I was pleased we delivered the innovative Peer Landlord project with Thames Reach with Jeremy at the helm – his vision of what was possible was key; and delighted he agreed to become a trustee of Commonweal in later years. Brave, passionate and true. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends who knew him best.”