Atira Property Management Inc. means a lot of good for a lot of people.

Atira Women’s Resource Society is a non-profit organization committed to ending violence against women. They do this through direct service, education, and increasing awareness about the impact violence against women and children has on our  communities. Atira operates 12 transition and long-term housing sites in the Lower Mainland. Of note, this includes the first housing development in Canada created from recycled shipping containers.

In 2002, the organization founded Atira Property Management Inc. (APMI), an innovative social enterprise that provides property management services to strata councils, housing co-operatives, non-profits, and developers. All of APMI’s profits return to Atira to support the organization’s important programs.

APMI proudly employs over 280 individuals facing employment barriers as onsite staff, making it one of the largest employers of significantly barriered individuals in Canada.

Early support from Vancity Community Foundation and Vancity Capital Corporation helped in the launching of APMI. “Early support from the Enterprising Non-Profits program to help develop our business plan was very helpful,” says Janice Abbott, CEO of Atira Women’s Resource Society and AMPI. “But without the loan from Vancity Capital Corp, it is unlikely that APMI would have gotten off the ground. Not many lenders would have been willing to take the risk Vancity took on Atira.” 

“We have enough scale to grow 25% in the next few years in terms of the property we manage and people we employ. We will continue to employ folks from the community and create advancement opportunities – both within APMI and externally,” Janice continues. “We want to see our people advance into senior roles, and we want to see strata councils and large companies include community impact in their procurement services and include APMI as an alternative to traditional companies.”

• For more on this story, read "Resilient Capital Program financing supports APMI's growth" (Vancity, Stories of Change)