A Midlands-based housing association is relocating more than 1,000 homes

Leading nonprofit services provider Extra Care and Retirement Living has completed the purchase of 23 properties from Midland Heart, welcoming more than 1,600 residents and 137 employees to Housing 21.

As a direct result of the acquisition, Housing 21 has achieved a milestone of over 10,000 Extra Care properties to be managed alongside a portfolio of 14,000 Retirement Living properties.

Tony Tench, deputy chief executive of Housing 21, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome our new residents and staff to Housing 21 in what will be the largest acquisition in Housing 21’s 60-year history. Acquisitions are a key part of our growth plan; over the last 18 months, we have purchased over 970 properties from third-party owners and remain committed to building as many as 400 new Extra Care and Retirement Living properties each year.

“As some housing associations decide to re-focus on general needs, Housing 21, as a specialist provider of housing for older people, is keen to acquire properties and ensure that they remain a positive choice for residents, providing safe, high-quality and affordable homes for they deserve.

“Through acquisitions like these, residents can have the peace of mind that they are moving to a specialist extra care and retirement living provider that is completely focused on meeting their needs. It also means these properties will be preserved to support the growing elderly population not only now, but in the future.”

Following the acquisition, Housing 21 now manages over 650 sites across England, with a total of over 24,000 properties.

Kris Peach, managing director of Extra Care, said: “Reaching 10,000 Extra Care sites is fantastic, but doing so in our 60th anniversary year is symbolic as we show our commitment to providing high-quality services to more older people.

“Extra Care provides residents with the opportunity to live independently for longer periods of time with the support and safety of on-site care staff who are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This allows couples with different care needs to stay together and helps create communities that deal with social isolation and loneliness.

“As we expand our presence across England, we are giving more older people more choice and control over their future, and we will continue to identify opportunities for growth. This acquisition complements our existing portfolio, providing us with the opportunity to continue to grow to meet the needs of both new and existing residents.”

Care under the transferred programs is provided by third-party providers and will remain unchanged.

Joe Reeves, executive director of finance and development at Midland Heart, said: “We are confident that moving these 23 programs to a specialist provider will build on the high-quality services we have provided to our residents and will provide colleagues with more opportunities to develop in their chosen field. yourself career. We are confident that all residents will continue to enjoy living in their homes, and we wish all colleagues who are moving to a new employer all the best in their future careers.

“This transfer, one of the largest in our sector, will provide us with valuable additional resources that will make our next corporate plan the most ambitious ever. This plan will focus on our primary goal as a general needs homeowner. Resources from this transfer will be funneled back into the organization, enabling us to continue building the new, affordable homes that are needed in the Midlands. We will also invest in our existing homes to ensure that over 6,000 homes are fit for modern living and provide higher levels of energy efficiency, all achieving EPC C rating by 2030.