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Housing associations strike 800-home supported housing stock transfer deal
Two of the UK’s largest housing associations have agreed an 800-home stock transfer deal.
Sanctuary Group’s supported housing arm, Sanctuary Supported Living, has purchased 813 homes from 65,000-home landlord Notting Hill Genesis (NHG).
The homes, a mixture of supported and general needs affordable housing, are spread across Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Sanctuary, which owns more than 100,000 homes across England and Scotland, said the deal will help it support homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless in the three counties.
It added that the transfer had been completed “following strong collaboration from both organisations” amid the challenges posed by the coronavirus crisis.
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Craig Moule, group chief executive of Sanctuary, said: “This is a significant purchase and it confirms Sanctuary’s continued focus on supporting as many vulnerable people as possible, especially in these challenging times.
“Completing the acquisition in the current climate has not been easy but we have an experienced and talented team who have worked closely with NHG to make it possible.”
Sanctuary Supported Living provides tailored care and accommodation to homeless people, individuals with mental health needs or disabilities and young people with complex needs to help them live independently.
It supports around 3,650 homeless people a year across England.
Sara Keetley, operations director at Sanctuary Supported Living, said: “We continue to be committed to finding more ways to support vulnerable adults, by growing our portfolio through further acquisitions, developing our assets and through the traditional tender process.
“This is really positive news for Sanctuary and we look forward to welcoming new colleagues to our team.”
Carl Byrne, group director of housing for NHG, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to all the staff in our East Anglia region, who have impressed us all so much with their professionalism and dedication throughout this process, particularly over these recent weeks which have been so challenging for everyone.
“Over the years they have transformed so many lives with the work they have done, and we know they will continue to do so now they have moved to Sanctuary. We will continue to offer any support needed to help the transition go smoothly.”
The deal is the latest in a flurry of stock transfers across the sector in recent months.
LiveWest announced the sale of 613 homes in Dorset and Hampshire to Radian Group last month, while Clarion Housing Group sold 1,175 homes in the North East to Riverside.
The Guinness Partnership and Paradigm Housing Group are also currently working on a deal to swap 2,900 homes.
