New housing group launched for Shropshire and Staffordshire

The group will own and manage about 18,000 homes, employ up to 800 people, and have an annual turnover of almost £100 million.

It has been launched following the merger of Housing Plus Group and Stafford and Rural Homes this week.

The merged group has pledged to begin building 2,000 new homes for rent, shared ownership and outright sale by 2023. It said it is committed to delivering one-third more hours of care and support so that older people can continue to live independently, in their own homes and to creating 100 new apprenticeships in the group and its supply chain within the next five years. It has also made a promise to remain accountable to its customers, with a customer voice at board level.

The merged group comprises landlords Severnside Housing, South Staffordshire Housing Association and Stafford and Rural Homes. It also includes Care Plus, which provides housing care and support for older people, and Severn Homes, which specialises in private sector housing for rent, sale and shared ownership, along with repairs and planned maintenance specialists Property Plus and Housing Worx.

The launch of the new group was marked with the announcement it will be joining regional partners to combat some of the biggest challenges facing the housing sector. As part of the Creating Our Future programme, Housing Plus Group will access match funding to invest in projects such as Hacking Homelessness which will help housing associations to support people at risk of eviction.

Chief executive Sarah Boden celebrated the first day of the merged group with staff at the Stafford and Rural Homes office in Beaconside, Stafford. She said: “Separately, our organisations do fantastic work in our communities. Together, we will do more. We are setting out today with a very clear objective to change lives, shape communities and create real opportunities for the employees who make that possible.”