High-end condominium buyers in Vancouver will soon have the opportunity to share in a new concept that delivers a house to a poverty-stricken family surviving in a third-world garbage dump for every condo bought.
The World Housing program was launched in Vancouver February 18 during a YouTube-streamed event at the luxurious Shangri-La hotel. Organizers call it, " the world's first one-for-one real estate gifting" model.
"We cannot possibly overstate the incredible social change that is created by gifting homes to the most deserving people on earth," said Peter Dupuis, co-founder of World Housing.
"The conditions of landfill communities are the worst in the world; these people are literally surviving off of the garbage of others, spending hours a day trying to find clean water and food for their family. Receiving a home gives a stable living environment to help create a better life."
Vancouver's Westbank, which is building a unique 52-storey, 407-suite residential tower at Howe and Granville – known as the "twisting tower"– is reportedly the first and only Vancouver developer enrolled with World Housing, though the company has yet to confirm its commitment.
Under the program, when a Vancouver buyer purchases a new home in a participating project, $2,900 is donated to fund the construction of a home in a World Housing landfill community.
"The $2,900 comes right out of the project's marketing budget," said a World Housing publicist.
Currently, World Housing is involved in three landfill communities based outside Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Manila, Philippines; and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The homes are delivered by non-government organization home builders. As World Housing grows, the goal is to expand its areas of influence to include landfill communities in India, South America and Africa with a benchmark of providing homes for 30,000 poor people by 2020, according to Dupuis.
Westbank is expected to announce its participation in the program March 25 during the marketing launch of its new high-rise, which is designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels of Bjarke Ingels Group
Westbank is the developer of the Shangri-La and Fairmont Pacific Rim hotels, which boast the most expensive condominium residences in Vancouver with prices typically surpassing $1,500 per square foot.
"We are working closely with World Housing but we cannot provide any further details at this time," said Westbank spokesperson Jill Killeen.
