In Asheville, N.C., a group of Ukrainian refugees is getting a fresh start. Since 2022, more than 450 Ukrainian immigrants have been resettled in the Asheville area by nonprofit organization Lutheran Services Carolinas (LSC) in collaboration with the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and Global Refuge, an international nonprofit group.
Through the program, some of these refugees now work for Quartz Transport, part of Quartz Properties Management, which builds attainably-priced modular homes in Western North Carolina. Quartz is one of six local employers that participates in LSC's Employer Engagement program, supported by an $861,000 ORR grant.
"The construction industry nationwide is understaffed," says David Roover, Quartz Properties' chief growth officer. "Our New American employees have been a real boost to our ability to grow our business."