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Our Vision

A world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live.

Our Mission

We mobilize volunteers and communities to help working families build strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership.

Habitat GTA

Habitat for Humanity GTA is a local nonprofit housing organization with a global vision of a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. We mobilize communities to help working, lower-income families build strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership. With the help of volunteers, donors, and community partners; we provide a solid foundation for better, healthier lives for families in the GTA. Since 1988, Habitat GTA has built 22 new communities, providing a hand up to more than 450 families so parents and children can have a safe, decent and affordable place to call home.

Habitat ReStore

In support of our homebuilding activity, we operate a network of social enterprise home improvement retail stores called Habitat ReStore. Our 10 locations across the GTA collect and sell new and used donated home furnishings, appliances, and renovation materials at a fraction of the original price. Revenue generated through Habitat ReStore helps fund the cost to build homes, which allows the majority of donor dollars to go directly towards our mission. The Habitat ReStore model reduces the need for the production of new materials and the consumption of natural resources. It extends the value of new and gently-used household items, eliminating unnecessary waste, and ultimately decreasing our collective carbon footprint.

Our History

Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 in Americus, Georgia by Millard and Linda Fuller and has since spread to 70 countries around the world. The ongoing involvement of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, through the Jimmy Carter Work Project that began in 1984, has brought wide-spread global awareness to our organization and its work.

Habitat for Humanity Greater Toronto Area was established in 2014 through an amalgamation of three separate Habitat affiliates – Habitat for Humanity Toronto, Brampton-Caledon, and York Region. And in 2020, Habitat Durham amalgamated with Habitat for Humanity GTA. Like all Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Canada, Habitat for Humanity GTA is an independently governed, non-profit corporation with an affiliate agreement with Habitat for Humanity Canada.

The first Habitat ReStore began in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1991 and the concept has since grown to include hundreds of locations across Canada and the U.S. The first ReStore to open in Toronto was the East York ReStore in 1995.

OUR CORE VALUES

HOUSING FOR ALL

We believe that access to safe, decent and affordable housing is a basic human right that should be available to all.

HUMAN DIGNITY

We believe in the worth and dignity of every human being. We respect the people we serve and those that help us in this effort and recognize them as our greatest resource.

PARTNERSHIPS

We believe we can best achieve our mission through meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships with others.

FAITH IN ACTION

We believe that faith is lived through action. Building on our Christian foundation, we serve and work with people of all faiths and beliefs in a spirit of justice and compassion.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

We believe there is a role for everyone committed to our vision, mission and values and we seek to enrich our organization through diversity.

HOW IT ALL WORKS

Who we are

Through our unique affordable homeownership program, we offer families a hand up, empowering them to build strength, stability and self-reliance.

Families purchase an affordable home from Habitat for Humanity GTA at fair market value, most often with no down payment required.

Approved homeowners purchase their home through two mortgages for a 20-year term. The first mortgage is through a traditional lender with market interest rates, and the second mortgage which covers the majority of the home value is through Habitat for Humanity GTA with no interest.

Mortgage payments are calculated so that families spend no more than 32% of their household income on housing costs.

As part of their partnership with Habitat for Humanity GTA, families contribute “sweat equity” of 500 volunteer hours helping build their home, other Habitat homes, or helping in our ReStores.

Every family attends homeownership and financial education workshops to prepare themselves for first-time homeownership.

As families pay off their mortgages, the money is reinvested back into the program to provide more families with strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership.

Are you a family interested in affordable home ownership? Find out more about our eligibility and process here.