The Housing Corporation has given the green light to a £400,000 stock transfer project for four black and minority-ethnic housing associations.
After months of delay, the corporation confirmed that the project will go ahead, as predicted in Housing Today last week (24 October, page 10).

Manningham and Ashiana housing associations will work on development with the Bradford Community Housing Trust.

Labo Housing Association and Spitalfields Housing Association will each take on 1000 homes from Tower Hamlets council in east London. Sadeh Lok in Wakefield and Tung Sing in Manchester will also take on stock, but details have not been finalised.

Steve Fox, senior adviser in the Housing Corporation's stock transfer registration unit, said: "We want to develop advice for BME associations so they can effectively demonstrate services and offer more options for tenants involved in stock transfer."

The six RSLs' experience will be written up into a guide for others to follow.

South Yorkshire Housing Association is to incorporate a specialist BME housing association within its group.

The board decided on Wednesday to adopt Asian Housing Association, an unregistered industrial and provident society based in Yorkshire.

South Yorkshire will set aside an initial £100,000 to pay to new staff charged with setting up the group.

Source

Housing Today