Important news about your housing association Chief executive Sarah Boden shares the latest update on our merger with Stafford and Rural Homes and what that means for customers. “Earlier this year we asked for your views about a merger with Stafford and Rural Homes. You said that you wanted us to take this opportunity to build a bigger group, offering even better homes and services. On 1 October 2019 we will merge with Stafford and Rural Homes. Our new group will manage 18,000 homes and provide employment, training and apprenticeships for almost 800 local people.
More of what is important to you When we proposed this merger we said that, working together, we would be able to do more of the things that are important to you. We promised to offer a wider choice of homes, starting the construction of 2,000 new homes for rent, shared ownership and outright sale by 2023. We’ve begun that work already, with some exciting news on page 8 of this magazine. We committed to providing even better community based care and support for older people. Working together, we
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will support independent living and provide peace of mind and confidence for people and families. Our combined group will provide employment for around 800 local people and we have set a target to create 100 new apprenticeship opportunities in the Group and with our suppliers within five years. We pledged to make more of our services available online so that we can offer more individual support where it is needed. We’ve been busy preparing for that challenge, too. Check out the great news on page 3 to see how you can make rent payments and check your account securely online, at any time of the day or night. Customers have played a huge role in our success to date and will continue to shape the services of our new group, with a customer voice at board level. If you would like to be part of that journey you can find out how to get involved on the Let’s Talk pages of our websites or see page 7 for details.
Some things won’t change Although the new group has been created to make a real difference in Staffordshire and Shropshire, some things won’t be changing. Your home, your rights, the rent and any charges that you pay will not be affected by our merger. Services will be delivered locally and your landlord will continue to be SSHA. You can still expect a fantastic service from repairs operatives and call centre advisors who know your area and understand what is important to you. As we celebrate the launch of our new group it is time for us to meet our challenges. When it’s more difficult than ever for young people to move into their first home, families find it hard to make ends meet and older residents struggle to manage alone, we will provide excellent homes, services that make a difference and support for thriving communities.”
On the cover — leading the new organisation is Alison Hadden, designate Group board chair, Sarah Boden, designate chief executive and Gareth Evans, designate senior independent director.
