Mears has announced the acquisition of a group of Home Improvement Agencies (HIAs) from Anchor Housing for a nominal fee.
HIAs are contracted by Local Authorities to provide primarily home adaptation and handyman services to vulnerable owner occupiers in local communities. HIAs play a vital role in helping to keep people in their own homes for longer.
The role of HIAs is likely to expand in the future to cover a broader range of services that support independent living, including home safety and signposting of services such as domiciliary care to Individual Budget holders.
The Personalisation Agenda, set out in the recent Department of Health Adult Social Care Green Paper, means individuals will be taking greater responsibility for decisions about their own care. HIAs will offer a vital tool for navigating this changing landscape, helping people to get the care they want and and enabling them to live independently for longer. This acquisition complements Mears' existing domiciliary care and housing operations and further facilitates the Group's offering of fully integrated services which both reduce costs for local authorities and improve quality of service for individuals.
This purchase also extends the Group's geographic footprint into a number of Local Authorities where previously Mears had little presence.