Qualico Properties Winnipeg Partners with New Journey Housing to Help Provide Homes for Newcomers in Canada

Winnipeg, MB – Qualico Properties Winnipeg has joined forces with New Journey Housing, a non-profit organization dedicated to offering support, assistance, and resources to guide newcomers to Canada in their journey to secure housing. Since last spring, the business unit has successfully welcomed more than 75 Ukrainian families into its residential units in Winnipeg.

Kelly Christopher, Director, Property Management, Qualico Properties Winnipeg, said the partnership was initially sparked by a newspaper article about New Journey Housing that prompted Qualico Properties Winnipeg to reach out to the non-profit.

“We found out what they do, what their process is, and how many families they were anticipating,” Kelly said. “At that point, they already had a planeload of newcomers who were looking for housing and had been staying in hotels. The urgency was definitely there for them to get housing as soon as possible.”

Newcomers have 30 days to stay temporarily in a hotel, during which time they need to obtain a SIN, Manitoba Health card, and bank account, as well as find employment, daycare, schools, and housing. To help these newcomers settle in quickly, Qualico Properties Winnipeg decided to waive the typical requirements for a damage deposit and credit check – something that’s out of the norm for the business unit.

According to Codi Guenther, Executive Director, New Journey Housing, that decision made a big difference to the families.

“Waiving the deposit meant that families could have a little extra money to cover new costs like furniture and other necessities,” she said. “Waiving the credit check meant that they were eligible for Qualico housing when they were being turned away from others.”

Qualico Properties Winnipeg also put together a list of available housing that’s updated weekly, and in some cases resident managers were able to help newcomers secure employment. Often within a few days, newcomer families were able to find housing, mostly in Qualico Properties Winnipeg’s west properties, such as Moray Village, Fairlane Meadows, Broadview Manor (downtown), Redfern Gardens, and Albina Shoreline.

Yehor and Kateryna, two newcomers who found housing through Qualico Properties Winnipeg’s collaboration with New Journey Housing, said the process saved them time and they have already extended their lease.

“We are very glad that Qualico Properties is cooperating with Ukrainians,” they said. “When you come to a new country, with a very limited budget, there are many questions about renting. We are very grateful that despite the fact that we did not have a credit rating and did not have a job yet, they entered into a lease agreement with us.”

With such success experienced so far, both Qualico Properties Winnipeg and New Journey Housing are excited to continue the partnership going forward.

“Working with Qualico has opened up housing opportunities that we didn’t know were available to newcomers, as so many times newcomers don’t qualify for units due to no credit history in Canada or rental reference,” said Codi. “It’s a joy and a privilege to be able to connect a new family with a safe place to live that meets their needs.”