Tenants First Joins Sanctuary Group
Posted 01.10.12
Aberdeen-based Tenants First Housing has joined the housing and care provider Sanctuary Group.
Tenants First members and board backed the move to Sanctuary, and their staff and customers are now set to benefit from the additional resources, expertise and financial support of the 78,000 home Sanctuary Group.
The Group already has a strong presence in Scotland, where it manages 4,500 homes in Glasgow, Cumbernauld and Dundee. This portfolio will increase to almost 6,000 when combined with Tenants First's stock of 1,400 homes in Aberdeenshire, Angus and Glasgow.
Tenants First will be able to draw on Sanctuary's development experience and finances to deliver their affordable homes programme, which includes the Donside development of 320 new homes in Aberdeen.
Sanctuary has its own ambitious development plans for Scotland, involving the construction of 900 homes over the next three and a half years. This forms part of Sanctuary's UK development programme which will see the creation of around 5,000 new properties at a capital cost of £750 million over the same period.
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New Metropolitan Migration Foundation Small Grants Programme Seeks Big Results
Posted 08.10.2012
Metropolitan Migration Foundation, which is part of Metropolitan, is launching a small grants programme this autumn to empower migrants, and the communities in which they live, to create opportunities for positive change.
Small grants of up to £5,000 will be available for projects that support migrants in the areas of highest need, including housing, advocacy, ESOL provision, employment and tackling the issue of human trafficking.
Paul Birtill, Director of the Metropolitan Migration Foundation, said:
"We want to fund activities that help migrants engage in civil society, to access UK services and jobs, and to take an active role in improving conditions for themselves, their communities and their neighbourhoods.
"Our vision is a society that celebrates the constructive contribution that migrants make to local and national development.
"We are delighted to launch our small grants programme because we know it will help communities to make this vision a reality."
The Foundation wishes to prioritise applications from the areas in which Metropolitan works - London, East of England, East Midlands and South Yorkshire. Applications outside these areas will also be considered where they offer something unique.
Grants will be awarded on a bi-monthly basis and first round applications close on the 30th November 2012.
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Riverside & Cosmopolitan Confirm Talks
Posted 19.10.12
Cosmopolitan Housing Group and Riverside are exploring the potential benefits to their tenants of working together as part of the Riverside Group.
Cosmopolitan predominantly operates in Merseyside and Cheshire. More than a third of Riverside's properties are in a similar area, offering opportunities for working together with synergy.
Cosmopolitan's board has approached Riverside to see if they can help them improve delivery to the communities they serve, leveraging Riverside's financial strength and experience in managing group structures.
Discussions are ongoing and are dependent on further detailed work, the agreement of lenders and the boards of both organisations. The social housing regulator is aware of the discussions and being kept informed of progress.
