homeownership

what it means to partner with us

Do you dream of owning your own home? Habitat for Humanity GTA may be able to help!

We partner with working, lower income families living in the GTA to help them build and buy their own decent, affordable home through a unique affordable homeownership solution.

how we work where we build do you qualify

Learn about our build projects

who qualifies for affordable homeownership?

introduction to ownership criteria

Minimum requirements

The following are Habitat GTA's requirements in order to join the homeownership program.

Potential applicants must be families with at least one child under 16 years of age at time of move-in.
All family members moving into the homes must be Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents
At least one of the applicant / co-applicant must be employed full-time, or full-time-equivalent.
Applicant and/or co-applicant must have at least 2-3 years of employment history (Record of Employment must be provided).
Applicant / Co-applicant must be first-time homebuyers.
No bankruptcies (must have been discharged three or more years ago); consumer proposals will be considered on case-by-case basis.
Preference will be given to families who already work or live in the regions within which we are building (eg. if you are applying for a Brampton home, it would be preferred – but not mandatory – that you live or work in Brampton or Peel Region).

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Ability to pay a mortgage

Habitat for Humanity GTA does not give homes away for free. Families must demonstrate their ability to pay a mortgage back to Habitat for Humanity GTA.

At least one of the applicant or co-applicant must be employed full-time or equivalent of full-time.
Employment Insurance and Ontario Works are not acceptable sources of income.
Total family income must be sufficient to cover the costs of homeownership for Habitat’s developments. Different developments have different costs depending on type, location, etc. – we do not share specific development costs before info sessions.
Applicants will be asked to submit a current credit report that shows good credit history. Other documents required (but are not limited to) – paystubs, employment letters, account history, proof of rent being paid.

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Need for affordable housing

Habitat for Humanity GTA homeowners are selected, in large part, based on their level of need. Families will be considered for a Habitat home if their present housing is not adequate and if they are unable to afford adequate housing through other conventional means.

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Willingness to partner

Each family selected for homeownership with Habitat for Humanity GTA becomes a partner with us in the journey toward affordable homeownership. Habitat families are considered our greatest ambassadors and as such are asked to help us with a variety of initiatives that advance our mission.

Each selected family will be asked to fulfill the following partnership requirements:

Be an ambassador for Habitat for Humanity GTA and represent the mission – this involves (1) understanding and agreeing with our model, (2) speaking about your experience with Habitat for Humanity GTA at events, in media interviews or in videos to help promote our organization’s work to other families, donors and volunteers.
Contribute a minimum of 500 hours of volunteer ‘sweat equity’ toward the construction of their own home or a variety of other Habitat projects
Commit to a homeownership and mortgage agreement with Habitat for Humanity GTA
Attend Homeowner Education workshops to learn about the responsibilities of homeownership
Adult members of the household must submit a criminal reference check prior to acceptance into the program

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How to start the process?

Step 1: Fill out eligibility Questionnaire

Interested families are encouraged to fill out our Eligibility Questionnaire

Step 2: Attend information sessions

Depending on build availability and family qualifications, potentially qualified families will be invited to “Information Sessions” where Habitat GTA representatives will share details (locations, projected costs, etc.) about current builds which are available for recruitment.

Please note:

you will only be contacted IF you meet eligibility criteria for specific builds, and WHEN we have units available to accommodate your family.
you must ensure that you have filled out the eligibility questionnaire correctly and completely.

Step 3: Receive application forms

At the Information Sessions, families will be provided with formal application forms. Application forms will only ever be given out at information sessions.

Step 4: Submit filled out application forms

Application forms can be submitted to any of Habitat GTA’s offices.
Only 100% completed application forms will be reviewed.
Application forms submitted must be the originals received at Information Sessions – no photocopies will be reviewed.

Step 5: Await response in writing

You will receive an Acknowledgement Letter within 2 weeks of submitting your application form.
Depending on the number of applicants and the complexity of your application, you may be required to wait up to 3 months for a formal review of your application to be completed.
You will receive a response as to whether or not you’ve been accepted into our program in writing.

fill out our eligibility questionaire