Twenty-seven new affordable rental homes at the heart of Richmond are now available for single women and women with children.
And affordable here, means $1,569 for a three-bedroom unit.
The YWCA Moiz and Nadia Place - at 6320 and 6328 No. 3 Road, just a few yards south of the Brighouse Canada Line station - is part of the Paramount development and is owned and operated by YWCA Metro Vancouver.
The rental housing is the YWCA’s first housing project in Richmond, one of the most unaffordable housing markets in Canada, according to data from Point2Homes.
For the first time, the YWCA is offering studio and one-bedroom units in addition to their usual two- and three-bedroom units.
According to YWCA, the monthly rents are below market rate and range from $860 for studio units to $1,569 for three-bedroom units.
Kavitha Cariappa, a Richmond single mom of two, was one of the first residents to move into Moiz and Nadia Place and she says she’s happy to be able to stay in her community.
“A few months ago, I found myself being out in the rental market, which was just not affordable for me to stay,” said Cariappa.
“I reached out to the YWCA, and fortunately enough, I found a place right here in this building.
“Richmond is home for me. I actually lived in Steveston for 12 years, and my oldest kid graduated from my elementary school, Manoah Steves. So this is home. This will always be home.”
The YWCA received funding from BC Housing’s HousingHub program to purchase the homes from Keltic Development, and the units were made available through Richmond’s Low-End Market Rental program, which aims to create affordable housing units within new multi-family developments.
Those with connections to the Richmond community and women who have experienced violence from intimate partners, will be given priority.
Lisa Rupert, the director of housing and violence prevention with the YWCA, said that factors taken into consideration include whether the applicant has roots in Richmond and whether their children go to school here.
Residents will have full access to the development’s amenities, which include a landscaped courtyard, an outdoor play area, a children’s learning centre and library, a multi-purpose exercise room, and meeting rooms.
Currently, half of the units are occupied, and there is an ongoing waitlist. Rupert said that applications can take as quick as a day to get approved after the applicant is interviewed and documents are reviewed.
