Patricia Walsh Archives

Irish company owners built homes for their employees who don’t have permanent homes. Their employees’ lives were changed.

Irish Company Owners

Owners of Walsh Colour Print and Educate.ie, Patricia and Tony Walsh, did an amazing thing for their employees this Christmas season. They built homes for their employees that don’t have their own permanent homes. Because of their generosity, they are changing lives!

The company employs nearly 120 people who have a specialized skill set required for the work they are doing in the company. Because they were not able to find enough locals fit for their job description, they opted to hire people from other European countries.

Housing Option

Due to the limited availability and high cost of housing options in the area, any of their employees could not afford their own homes. Saving up for their own places seems to be impossible while they pay over $1200 for their monthly rental places.

Two of the Walsh couple’s employees who face the same dilemma were Anna and Marcin Wojs. In 2004, the couple migrated to Ireland from Poland to work for the company. They have been working for the Walshes for 16 years. However, today, they are faced with the possibility of having to go home despite wanting to stay due to their housing arrangement.

Affordable housing for employees

Patricia and Tony then found a way to help alleviate the Wojs’ problem and keep them on their company. In 2017, the couple prepared to build non-profit homes on the land they already own. The 1000-square foot attached homes are being sold to the company’s employees at $36,500 less than the market value.

The site has 70 homes, 20 of which are being reserved for the company workers. The other 50 are being sold to the public at full market value. The couple is hoping for their employees to have a stable future by securing their homes and their jobs in the company.

“It’s the best Christmas present ever,” Anna said. “The feeling now is that we are happy, just happy.”

Reference: RTE