Rehab charity absorbed by Calico

Acorn Treatment & Housing, a Stockport-based charity providing alcohol and drug abstinence services, is to become part of housing association the Calico Group.

Established in 1997, Acorn provides a range of services including reduction and motivation programmes and accommodation.

It has operated independently for fifteen years and supports approximately 2,000 people each year. It has a staff of more than 75 people and an annual turnover in excess of £2m.

Becoming part of Calico will enable Acorn to increase its offering.

John Hopkins, chief executive of Acorn Treatment, said: "Acorn was already an existing partner of Calico – we had previously worked together on a supported housing scheme in Rossendale.

"We felt that it would be beneficial to have the formal support of a housing association if we were to continue to thrive.

"The support we will receive from being a part of the Calico Group will allow us to provide our services to even more people across a wide geographical area."

Michael Birkett, chief executive of the Calico Group, said: "By welcoming Acorn into The Calico Group, we are continuing to grow the range of services that we provide to commissioners and their clients across the North.

"As a group, we are able to provide property and a range of diverse support services for vulnerable people and we strongly believe that this will give both value for money and quality for the organisations and people we work with."