Expansion for Hendre as Rhondda Housing Association Joins the Group

An agreement was today signed between community-based Rhondda Housing Association and the Hendre Group, cementing the Hendre Group's position as one of Wales' three largest housing organisations.

Rhondda Housing Association will sit alongside existing members, Hafod Housing and Hafod Care, as part of a move that will increase the Group's housing stock to more than 6,000 units with a rise in turnover to more than £30 million - a £5 million increase on the previous year.

The partnership strengthens the Hendre Group's position as one of South Wales' leading providers of social housing and reaffirms the organisation's ethos as a community-minded organisation with a strong track record in community development and regeneration projects across the region.

Elgar Lewis, Chairman of the Hendre Group commented: "Since the creation of the Hendre Group in 2002 we have continued to deliver and make improvements to the provision of social housing and support services to our client base across south Wales while also developing strategic alliances that have enabled our group to grow. Partnership working is at the very core of our operations and we are delighted to be joining forces with Rhondda Housing Association.

"The Hendre Group's ethos is for all organisations within the group to retain their identity and autonomy while also benefiting strategically and economically from being part of a larger, more diversified group that operates in a wide range of communities across South Wales, ultimately benefiting and improving the quality of life for not just our tenants and residents but the whole community."

John Andrews, Chair of Rhondda Housing Association said: "This partnership gives us the best of both worlds - we will retain our culture and ethos of a community based association, while having all the benefits of working within a larger group structure. Most importantly, this new partnership will allow us to grow while continuing to focus on the needs of our tenants."

The Hendre Group was formed in 2002 as a not-for-profit organisation to provide strategic and corporate services support to its member organisations freeing up their time to enable them to concentrate on their roles as social housing providers. Over time, as well as continuing to provide support to Group members, a number of external clients from across a wide spectrum of business sectors are now also benefiting from the corporate services Hendre provides.