It plans to provide employment too
The West Bromwich Building Society has announced that it is willing to offer up to 20 homes to support Ukrainian refugees with accommodation.
Available through the society’s property letting subsidiary, West Brom Homes, and premises above some of its branches, the properties will be offered free of charge for a minimum of six months to help house those fleeing the conflict.
The West Brom said it will be working with the government scheme, Homes for Ukraine, to be matched with families and individuals that are in urgent need of housing. It has already registered 11 properties with the scheme, and is reviewing its portfolio for any other properties that might be available in the coming weeks.
The building society is also committing to use the £350 ‘Thank You’ payment to further support the refugees that it will be housing.
Other building societies and financial institutions have already pledged to help too, primarily through monetary donation and offering accommodation.
Read more: Building societies extend helping hand to Ukraine humanitarian effort.
Jonathan Westhoff, The West Brom’s chief executive, said that they have been considering many ways to help, and offering homes to refugees is one way the West Brom will be able to support the displaced individuals and families.
“Primarily by not re-letting vacant, or soon to be vacant, properties in our residential letting subsidiary, West Brom Homes, we can immediately offer 11 homes in the Midlands, South Wales and Bristol, and we’re exploring further homes that might become available over the coming weeks and months,” Westhoff said.
Aside from accommodation, The West Brom is also planning to support refugees with employment opportunities once they are settled. A variety of roles will be made available, from administration and customer services to IT and operations.
“We know that this crisis will be ongoing, and while we can help with accommodation now, we also want to look at how we can help in the future. We know the next step for some will be to find employment once they are ready, and we will be able to offer a variety of roles to applicants across a variety of departments as another way to help them settle and provide security for the future,” Westhoff said.
