12 November 2007

LANCASHIRE HOUSING ASSOCIATION SELECTED FOR £65M CONTRACT

Progress Care Housing Association has been selected as the preferred bidder for a multi-million project to provide new homes for over 350 of Leed's most vulnerable residents.

Leeds City Council has announced Progress Care Housing Association, a specialist housing provider for people with learning disabilities, as a preferred bidder for the £65 million Independent Living Project. The project will improve life for adults with learning disabilities and mental health needs across the city, and also provide two new homes for children and young people with disabilities.

The project aims to deliver modern new homes for adults who currently live in 13 hostels across the city, allowing them to live closer to their own communities in smaller, less institutional and more independent settings.

The two children's homes are a new eight-bed resource for young people with learning disabilities that are approaching adulthood, and a replacement for the current short breaks unit for disabled children and young people.

Progress Care was selected as part of the LiLAC Consortium, which also includes building company Jack Lunn Properties Limited and facilities management specialists Powerminster, part of Gleeson Services. Financial backing comes from Nord LB and the Consortium is managed by the Gleeson Group.

Alan Johnson, Managing Director of Progress Care Housing Association said:

'The LiLAC consortium is absolutely delighted to have been chosen as preferred bidder. We are looking forward to working in partnership with Leeds through to financial close and on into the operational phase where we are confident that our designs and service delivery proposals will provide residents with a greatly improved quality of life and independence.

Councillor Peter Harrand, Executive Board member for adults' services, said:

"The consortium will build high quality homes that will help their tenants live as independently as possible, as valued members of the community and playing a full part in local life. The homes will give their residents dignity, privacy and a quality of life that is not currently available in the present hostel-type accommodation.

"This is a new departure for the way we provide services for some of the most vulnerable people in Leeds."

In all, 70 purpose-designed properties will be built for adults, plus the two for children, on 39 sites across Leeds, following the go-ahead for the government-approved and Private Finance Initiative-funded project. The homes will be modern flexible accommodation suited to the needs of the people using the properties and giving them as much independence as possible.

The contract will be awarded in March 2008 and building will begin in May 2008. By May 2011 the project will have been completed and everyone will be living in his or her new homes.

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