A Richmond resident is calling on his fellow real estate developers to help house families fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Matt Ilich and his business partner at First Track Investment have already housed, under the management of non-profit SUCCESS, several Ukrainian refugee families in Vancouver through a program called “Operation Welcome Home.”
His company has essentially temporarily donated properties that are scheduled for development in the future but are perfectly liveable in the short term.
And after getting the green light from the City of Richmond to proceed in his home town, Ilich is hoping local real estate developers can step up.
“We are also in discussions with Surrey and Coquitlam, but we met with Richmond staff just before spring break and they’ve said we’re basically good to go,” Ilich told the Richmond News.
“When these families turn up at YVR, they’re often placed in hotels and they can’t really get established.
“This (program) allows them to have an address to apply for jobs and get the services they need to start a new life.
“If they come to us in two months and say they’ve found a job in Toronto or Port Alberni and they move on, great, it’s job done for us.”
Ilich said they really wanted to help out after seeing the “terrifying stuff going on over there. “I would hope someone would help us if we were in that situation.
“We don’t receive any payments. We just donate the property for a short term.
“What we’re trying to do is let people know that there’s an opportunity here in Richmond to make homes available to people displaced from Ukraine.
“We don’t have any properties yet in Richmond.”
Ilich said they’re not looking for derelict properties, adding that the “homes have to be habitable.”
“A good fit would be a recent, owner-occupied home…A very functional house but the remaining life of the house is relatively short. It’s going to be developed at some point, but it’s still fine to live in for now.”
Anyone who thinks they can help with the program can email Ilich at [email protected].
