Experienced housing leader who championed closer links between housing and health dies after short illness
Well-known housing leader Hattie Llewelyn-Davies has died following a short illness.
Llewelyn-Davies, who was awarded an OBE in 2004 for her contribution to housing and homelessness services, passed away on Saturday.
She was recently appointed chair designate of Chime Housing, the organisation due to be created through a merger of Watford Community Housing and Thrive Homes on 1 June.
In recent years she was best known for being the founding chair of Eastlight Community Housing, leading the merger of Colne and Greenfields Community Housing to create the 15,000-home tenant-led ‘community gateway’ provider in 2020.
Her passing brings an end to housing career spanning more than 50 years.
It began in 1972 at the age of 18, when she worked at the Kingsway Day Centre in west London, supporting older people experiencing homelessness. After starting out as a volunteer, she worked her way up, becoming chief executive of the Piccadilly Advice Centre, a drop-in service for homeless young people supported by The King’s Fund, between 1979 and 1986.
Alongside this, she served as chair of the Single Homeless Project from 1973 to 1986 and chair of the Young Homelessness Group from 1984 to 1986.
Her work in the 1980s, including supporting people living with HIV and helping to establish the Great Chapel Street Medical Centre, deepened her understanding of the connection between housing and health – something she would go on to champion throughout her career.
She later moved into senior leadership roles, including chief executive of Sitra Services (1986–1988), regional director at Circle 33 Housing Trust (1988–1991) and chief executive of Shepherds Bush Housing Group (1992–1996).
She went on to hold a number of key board roles across housing, including as chair of Viridian Housing (2006-2012) and PA Housing (2018-2021).
Alongside her housing work, she held senior roles across the NHS over nearly three decades.
She chaired Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, before becoming chair of Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust in April 2025. She also served as a board member of NHS Providers and was part of the steering group of the Disabled NHS Directors Network.
Hattie was an advocate for closer working between housing and health, often speaking about the need to better connect services around people’s lives. She also spoke openly about her own experience of disability.
Living with auto-immune conditions, she understood the reality of having a non-visible disability. She sought to challenge stigma and push for greater understanding and representation, particularly in leadership roles.
Gail Shadlock, board Member and senior independent director at Eastlight Community Homes, said: “Hattie was an extraordinary person – passionate, principled and completely dedicated to housing association residents and NHS patients.
“She was generous, calm, thoughtful and deeply intelligent – an expert who brought others with her and made people feel they could step forward and lead. She was absolutely clear that people with lived experience must be at the heart of governance and decision making, shaping not just what organisations do, but how they think and act.
“She was a one-off, with a rare combination of humanity, clarity and determination. After a career spanning more than five decades, she still had the energy, ambition and drive to do more – to go further in improving the lives of others, including all of us who had the privilege and pleasure of working alongside her.
She was generous, calm, thoughtful and deeply intelligent – an expert who brought others with her and made people feel they could step forward and lead
“She will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with Hattie’s children and grandchildren, and with all those who knew and worked with her, and we will be sharing further tributes in the coming weeks and months.”
Tina Barnard, chief executive at Watford Community Housing, said: “Hattie was an incredible friend, and a remarkable colleague to everyone who was lucky enough to work with her. Her many achievements speak for themselves, driven by her kindness, her belief in fairness and dignity, and her commitment to giving a voice to those who need it most.
“Over the last year, Hattie was instrumental in the merger between Thrive Homes and Watford Community Housing, bringing incredible vision and passion to the partnership, and she believed deeply in the benefits that a larger community gateway housing association will deliver for residents.
“She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy through the work she did, the organisations she helped to shape for the better, and the many lives she touched.”
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