Progress Housing takes over specialist provider Empower in supported-living push
What's the deal? Progress Housing Group, a 16,000-home landlord in the North West of England, has acquired Lancashire-based supported housing provider EmpowerDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Terms were not disclosed. Empower will join Progress's specialist division, Reside With Progress (RWP), in December 2026.
What's the endgame? Progress wants to "strengthen its offer" to residents with support needs. Empower runs 131 properties and 296 bedspaces, specialising in housing for disabled adults, and brings 20 years of experience to the group.
Why now? RWP already supports more than 4,000 tenancies for people with learning disabilities, autistic people, and those with mental health conditions. The deal adds specialist capacity and follows Progress's 2021 merger with Reside Housing Association.
What could go wrong? Empower was judged non-compliant with multiple regulatory standards in 2021. The Regulator of Social Housing ruled those issues resolved in 2023, but integration of systems and processes still lies ahead.
Lee Sugden, interim chief executive of Empower, said the group would be able to "strengthen our offer and support more vulnerable people in their own homes." Jacqui De-Rose, Progress's group chief executive, said the two could "share our expertise and knowledge to provide high-quality supported living to those people who need it most."
The signal: The deal fits a broader wave of consolidation among UK housing providers, including the 2026 BromfordDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →–Flagship–LiveWest merger and the Single Homeless Project taking Peter Bedford Housing Association into its group. The driver here is specialist scale — pooling expertise to expand provision for adults with learning disabilities and autistic people, rather than a portfolio-scale land grab.
Read more: infrastructure-now.co.uk
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
