Local realtor Jayena Collins of Homelife Country Realty is doing her best to make sure that realtors from Cochrane and beyond show they care by getting them to vote for a cause that affects many in the area — affordable housing.
Collins recently entered local non-profit society, the Cochrane Society for Housing Options (CSHO) into the Calgary Real Estate Board’s (CREB) ‘25 for $25,000’ contest.
“I just realized the need for attainable housing in Cochrane, as housing prices aren’t achievable for a lot of families,” explained Collins, a lifetime Cochranite, mother of five and realtor for the past seven years.
Presented by the CREB Charitable Foundation, in honour of their 25th anniversary, 25 communities in and around the Calgary area will be given grants of $25,000 to go toward their enrichment programs and projects.
The first 10 winners were selected by the foundation’s board of governors; the remaining 15 will be chosen by the dedication of online voters who are licensed CREB realtors; realtors voting for the Cochrane nomination do not have to be from Cochrane.
Collins’ nomination of CSHO marks the sole Cochrane nominee and so far, the non-profit is sitting in second place in its category (shelter), with nearly 1,600 votes; the top five in each of the three categories — vulnerable populations, shelter and community enhancement — will be awarded the 15 amounts of $25,000.
Realtors can each vote online up to ten times a day between now and Oct. 21, when the contest closes; realtors can register online at cf25for25.creb.com or contact Collins at 403-888-7748 for assistance.
Corrine Burns, housing coordinator for CSHO, is overwhelmed by the nomination.
“We’re very excited that we were nominated and that our nomination was accepted by CREB,” said Burns. “If we do get this money, we will use it to purchase more rental units for our rental program.”
“We are currently working on a project to purchase 13 two-bedroom units,” she continued, adding that the money would be put toward the financing of the units, to offset the purchase price and keep rental rates affordable.
“All the money will go directly back into our community,” said Burns.
To learn more about CSHO visit csho.ca or homerenoheaven.com.
