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Specialist women’s housing associations cancel merger plans
The UK’s two largest specialist housing associations for women have decided not to progress with plans to merge.
Housing for Women, which manages around 920 homes across London, and Women’s Pioneer Housing (WPF), which owns around 1,000 homes across London, said in a joint statement that the full benefits of a merger “cannot be realised at this time”.
The organisations have said they will instead focus on their own key priorities but will continue to work together to raise awareness of the importance of safe, secure and affordable housing for women.
Housing for Women and WPH first announced they were entering merger talks in May, saying at the time that demand for housing and support services in London “far exceeds what either organisation can provide alone”.
Denise Fowler, chief executive of WPH, and Zaiba Qureshi, chief executive of Housing for Women, will continue to serve as co-chairs of the Women’s Housing Forum, which was set up last year to research and address the challenges women face in accessing housing.
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Last week Inside Housing spoke to Ms Fowler and Ms Qureshi for The Housing Podcast, discussing why housing is a feminist issue.
Ms Fowler said: “WPH’s priority is to deliver more high-quality homes and services for women in London, including our flagship development at Wood Lane. We look forward to celebrating our centenary in 2020 and continuing to fulfil the vision of our founders.”
Ms Qureshi said: “Housing for Women’s priority is driving up service delivery for our customers together with the development of specialist services for women across London. We have an ambitious agenda on both fronts and we are now looking forward to delivering our business plan.”
