Jewish community housing charities formalise partnership
Sheltered accommodation charity jLiving and Brighton & Hove Jewish Housing Association officially merge
Two leading community housing organisations have agreed to join forces.
jLiving, and Brighton and Hove Jewish Housing Association (B&HJHA) have merged as of today.
Jewish News last year reported on the initial talks to consolidate their services.
Representatives say that all legal and financial due diligence has been satisfactorily completed, including consultation with the existing Brighton and Hove tenants, as well as obtaining all necessary regulatory consents.
jLiving and B&HJHA also have the approval of key stakeholders in the Brighton and Hove Jewish community.
The CEO of jLiving, Jane Goodman, along with the respective Chairs, Adam Gamsu (jLiving) and Michael Davids (B&HJHA), have stated that while nothing will change for the tenants day to day, the similarities in ethos, mission and backgrounds of the two organisations make this a natural partnership and one that will support the wider community in the years to come, as the ongoing need for affordable, safe and secure accommodation becomes ever more important for the Jewish community.
A launch to celebrate the merger will be held, in early June at BNJC, (Brighton and Hove Jewish Community) the new community hub that has just opened in Hove.
Currently, there are 20 tenants living in B&HJHA, and jLiving will be taking over 19 properties within 3 houses, which accommodate a mix of single tenants and couples.
Goodman said: “We are delighted that after months of hard work for both organisations the merger with Brighton & Hove Jewish Housing Association, is now complete and we look forward to building an ongoing relationship, working closely with the Brighton & Hove Jewish communities and welcoming our ‘new’ tenants to the jLiving community.
B&HJHA should be proud of the incredible work it has done in supporting its tenants and providing beautiful homes over the past 50+ years and we see this as an exciting opportunity to support the community going forward. We will preserve everything that B&HJHA has already established there.”
She confirmed that there will be no staff changes and that “tenants can rest assured that their current living arrangements are 100% secure and most importantly they will retain the same Housing Manager who has supported tenants for the past 8 years.”
As part of their commitment to the Brighton and Hove community, they “will also be working with the local Jewish Welfare Board to manage their properties and support their tenants in the future.”
Jewish Community Housing Association, jLiving, and Brighton and Hove Jewish Housing Association (B&HJHA)
Davids said: “Throughout our discussions with representatives of jLiving, we identified a very clear overlap in ethos and outlook, which was our most important criterion in finding a partner. Not only will this transaction benefit all our existing tenants, by assuring the long-term future of our Association, jLiving will also be taking on the responsibility of managing the five affordable for rent units housed in the new BNJC Community Centre in Hove. This represents a resounding vote of confidence in the future of the Brighton, Hove & Sussex Jewish community.”
Fiona Sharpe of Brighton and Hove Jewish Welfare Board said: “The Jewish Welfare Board will maintain ownership of our two houses, continuing to provide affordable, subsidised housing in eight flats. However, we are very happy that JLiving will take over the management of these properties on our behalf and look forward to working with them in the future. We offer our sincere thanks and appreciation to BHJHA for their previous management of our community housing.”
jLiving offers sheltered accommodation in locations including Barnet, Brent, Harrow, Lambeth and Westminster, as well as Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire and Margate in Kent.
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