Families from war-ravaged Ukraine have found safe haven in a former tobacco research station in Norfolk County.
More than 25 people have moved into Schafer House, a multi-unit residential building created by Mike and Sandy Kloepfer. They own Titan Trailers, a manufacturer of custom transport trailers based in Delhi.
Opened in 1933, the research station was operated by the federal government until about 2013. For a short time it was home to a firefighter training academy but later sat empty.
In 2015, the Kloepfers purchased the 65-hectare property on Schafer Side Road between Delhi and Courtland. Their goal was to address two local problems: a labor shortage and a lack of affordable housing.
The refurbished building now has seven units and a common room, which doubles as a play area for children. It also has a communal laundry room for residents without washers and dryers in their units.
Olha Diletchuk and her two children, Dany, 11, and six-year-old Emma, were among the first to move in. Their unit has two bedrooms, a kitchen and dining and living rooms.
Last June, she visited Norfolk on a bus tour organized by Norfolk County in conjunction with Venture Norfolk and a Toronto-area agency.
“When we arrived here, I got off the bus and the first person I saw was Mike (Kloepfer),” Diletchuk said. “He said, ‘We’ve been waiting for you.’ And I almost cried.
“For the first time in four years, I felt safe.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February has displaced millions of Ukrainians. Many have gone to neighboring countries and others elsewhere, including Canada.
Since mid-March, the federal government has received more than 600,000 applications for temporary residence in Canada from Ukrainians.
Diletchuk is from the Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine, near the Carpathian Mountains. When Russia invaded, she was working in Hungary.
She arranged to have her children brought to the Hungarian border before they traveled to Canada. They lived with extended family in Toronto before moving to Norfolk.
Diletchuk now helps Titan Trailers recruit workers.
The Ukrainians living at Schafer House work at a range of jobs, including production and welding. Children attend local schools, including Delhi District Secondary School.
Established in 1973, Titan Trailers has added facilities and employees over the years but has had trouble filling jobs, largely due to a lack of workers and affordable housing.
The problem isn’t unique to Norfolk County, said Kate Burns Gallagher, executive director of the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus. The not-for-profit organization speaks to federal and provincial governments on a number of issues on behalf of 15 rural municipalities, including Norfolk.
She said Schafer House is a “brilliant” example of what’s needed to address labor and housing shortages in rural areas.
“It’s the kind of project we’d like to see repeated.”
Burns Gallagher was among those attending an open house at Schafer House that featured a buffet of Ukrainian cuisine, including perogies, cabbage rolls and sweet treats. Norfolk County councilors Chris Van Paassen, Linda Vandendriessche and Mike Columbus also attended.
Columbus noted that the Kloepfers’ motto for Titan Trailers is strength through innovation.
“This is a good example of strength through innovation,” he said. “I want to congratulate them on their efforts and thank them for taking care of our friends from Ukraine.”
Mike Kloepfer said the project has exceeded his expectations.
The residents of Schafer House “really like Norfolk because it reminds them of home,” he said.
“What I like about them is that they’re all happy, they’re all energetic and they all want to make a go of it here in Canada.”
The project was completed with private money and local labour, including Reid and Deleye Contractors Ltd. of Courtland.
Kloepfer declined to say how much was spent but said it is a sizeable investment.
Now he is looking to build on Schafer House’s success.
“We have another project in the works,” Kloepfer said. “I can’t really talk about it right now because we have to get our ducks in a row.
“But this has worked out so well, that there isn’t any reason not to move ahead with something that could be even bigger than this project.”