Granta Housing Society celebrates 40 years of affordable housing in East Anglia » Housing » 24dash.com

Cambridge based Granta Housing Society, founded in 1968 as a voluntary, independent organisation established to help people in housing need, celebrates its 40th anniversary today.

To mark the occasion, Granta is holding a 3-course lunch followed by an afternoon reception for staff and residents, at the grand Barrington Hall, Cambridgeshire.

Granta Chair, Sheila Button, will be joined by original Granta committee members to look back at the history of Granta and celebrate its many accomplishments.

Granta is one of East Anglia’s leading housing associations. It is active in 20 local authority areas, and currently manages over 2,200 affordable homes offering affordable rented housing, low cost homes for shared ownership sale, keyworker accommodation, and accommodation for vulnerable people requiring care and support.

One of the first housing associations to focus on the housing needs of young people, it is now one of the biggest providers of supported housing in the East of England.

Sheila Button, Chair of Granta Housing Society, said: “Granta has gone from strength to strength over the last 40 years and continues to make a positive difference to the quality of people’s lives across East Anglia.

“We will continue to work closely with the communities we serve, to ensure their housing, care and support needs are met efficiently and effectively.”

In 2005, Granta became part of Metropolitan Housing Partnership, one of the UK’s leading housing associations.

Bill Payne, Chief Executive of Metropolitan Housing Partnership, said: “Granta should be very proud of its achievements over the years. It has been a leader in providing innovative housing, care and support solutions to a range of people in housing need.

MHP looks forward to supporting it to grow further in the future so it can continue to help more and more people in the area access the housing and support services they need.”

Looking to the future the Society plans to develop 800 more homes within the next four years, and extend its reach to other neighbourhood support and community investment initiatives.

Most recently, the Society has teamed up with two partner organisations to employ a Community Development Officer as well as set up a Community Investment Fund to support and promote social, educational, health and welfare improvement opportunities for residents, to help tackle issues of social exclusion.

In care and supported housing Granta has won new tenders in the London borough of Havering and Cambridgeshire’s community floating support services.

Granta continues to look to increase its capacity to provide services to help service users develop life skills to live full and independent lives within the community.