Harvey Housing Association joins forces with Hundred Houses Society

Harvey Housing Association has merged with Hundred Houses Society to better meet the needs of tenants in Cambridge.

[UKPRwire, Wed Oct 17 2007] After a 40-year history of providing housing services for single people and lone parent families in Cambridge, local charity Harvey Housing Association has merged with Hundred Houses Society. The merger pushes Hundred Houses' owned and managed stock to over 1,000 homes for the first time in its history.

Hundred Houses, who celebrate 75 years of service in 2008, will manage and invest in former Harvey Housing properties and estates. Tenants will continue with the same rents and security as before.

Noel Garner, Hundred Houses chairman, said

"We welcome our new tenants and aim to provide high quality services for the future. Homes will be improved to the decent homes standard and better over the next 3 years and a wider range of opportunities offered to tenants."

The Housing Corporation regulates housing associations and has approved the move as being in the best interests of tenants and to ensure the housing is well-managed.

Ends

Note to Editors

1. More information at www.hhs.org.uk or by contacting Chris Jackson, Chief Executive on 01223 315036

2. The Housing Corporation is the government agency responsible for delivering new affordable homes and regulating 1,500 housing associations across England. Its current investment programme of £3.9 billion for 2006-2008 is its biggest ever and is set to provide around 80,000 new affordable homes from housing associations and private developers throughout the country. The Housing Corporation’s website is www.housingcorp.gov.uk.

3. Hundred Houses Society manages over 1,000 homes in Cambridge, and is building 50 more in Cambridgeshire and north Essex. It is the third largest provider of affordable homes in Cambridge.

4. Housing associations are grant funded by the Housing Corporation and raise money by bank and building society loans to buy land to build new homes

5. Mergers between housing associations must be approved by shareholders of both organisations. As not-for-profit bodies with shareholders holding £1 nominal shares, there are no financial incentives but simply a transfer of assets and liabilities.

6. The Harvey Road Day Nursery for children has been transferred to a new company set up by Harvey Housing, but parents should see no changes to the running of the service. All staff have transferred to the new company who hold a long lease from Hundred Houses.

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