Within the first 24 hours of offering free rent for 3 months to Fort McMurray evacuees, Mainstreet has filled 100 suites in Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatoon helping hundreds of evacuees in their time of need. Mainstreet sees the growing need for continued support as the demand for assistance is overwhelming.
Mainstreet is pledging more help with phase two of its housing support. An additional 100 units with the following incentives will be available in Edmonton, where the need is the greatest.
- Rent free for May – immediate move-in
- $500 IKEA gift card
- Waiving security deposit requirement
- Offering month-to-month lease terms (waiving 12-month contract requirement)
In announcing the new offer, Mainstreet's Founder and Chief Executive Officer Bob Dhillon said, "Our Fort McMurray task force of over 300 Team Members has been working around the clock to house families and will continue to do so as part of our responsibility to help fellow Albertans."
Dhillon also commented, "There has been an unprecedented outpouring of support by Albertans for the victims of this natural disaster. We stand together with them in helping the citizens of Fort McMurray. We admire their strength in the face of adversity. To continue our efforts, Mainstreet is offering further assistance to the evacuees."
Dhillon added, "The 100 suites were taken up within a matter of hours after our announcement on Wednesday. Mainstreet believes that it has a responsibility, as do all Albertans, to offer support in any way they can to those impacted by this devastating event."
In 2011, Mainstreet offered 50 Edmonton apartment suites to victims of the Slave Lake forest fire in Alberta. The Corporation also recently offered 200 apartments in Western Canada for Syrian refugees. To date, more than 165 units are occupied with some 700 refugees.
