An East Anglian housing association has paid £1m for 14 homes to stop the families living there being evicted.
Wherry Housing Association, part of Anglia Housing Group, bought the homes at the request of South Norfolk District Council, which gave Anglia a £385,000 grant towards the purchase.

The council feared the families would be homeless after their private landlord put the homes up for sale.

The council retains the right to decide who lives in the homes. It plans to use them for key workers once the current residents move out.

It is the first time Anglia has bought tenanted properties to save tenants from homelessness.

Mark Rogers, Anglia's chief executive, said: "There is an increasing pressure on many local authorities as a result of the shortage of properties to rent. We are working in close partnership with a number of local authorities to find joint, innovative solutions."

Clive Hudson, chairman of South Norfolk council, said: "This is great news for the tenants and it means they can now stay in their homes. It underlines our determination to ensure that these properties will be available now, and in the future, as affordable housing for the people of South Norfolk."

Source

Housing Today