2020

On International Women’s Day (IWD) we hosted a build for the female trainees of Building Up at CentreTowne. We used the opportunity to challenge the stereotype that working in the trades is only for men. We took to social media using the IWD hashtag (#EachforEqual) to promote the work of women breaking barriers in construction on our build site.

We were pleased to be joined by more than 15 women from Building Up’s pre-apprenticeship program, as well as Marie Clarke-Walker, the Secretary Treasurer at the Canadian Labour of Congress and a champion for diversity and inclusion and gender equality.

In the midst of the pandemic, we managed to open our newest Habitat ReStore location in Etobicoke. The 16,600 sq. ft. store marks are largest retail space to date. Getting the store ready for the grand opening was truly a community effort as staff, volunteers and local businesses banded together to get the store ready while adhering to strict health & safety protocols.

As the social enterprise of Habitat GTA, Habitat ReStore donated 100% of opening day sales to Tropicana Community Services and the Black Health Alliance. Thanks to our Etobicoke customers, we were able to raise $3,655 to be split equally between these two impactful organizations in our community.

As important as it was to make ourselves available for our Habitat homeowners when the pandemic first hit, we knew that we needed our donor partners to step up too. Like many of our supporters, The Whitmer Trudel Foundation understands the importance of addressing the need for safe, decent, affordable housing. Especially at a time when it was needed the most.

Last summer, the foundation increased their philanthropic investment by 5x their annual contribution that they have been gifting to Habitat GTA since 2017. The donor understood and acknowledged that the pandemic has put extreme pressure on charities in 2020, and that they were seeing the challenges across the spectrum of causes, which inspired them to increase their giving.

This is just one of the many stories of generosity that came out of our community in 2020.

Last year put us in a position where we couldn’t bring our corporate and community partners out to volunteer with us on our build sites. In the face of this challenge, we went back to the drawing board to figure out how we can engage our partners through work from home orders.

Last October, we launched our first ever every one build, a virtual four-week event to support local Habitat homebuilding projects across the country. It was inspiring to see our community step up and participate in at-home challenges and share videos to help bring the build site experience online.

12 local Habitats participated in raising a combined $60,000+ to continue helping families build strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership.

Habitat GTA partnered with Cityzen Developments to receive 22 units to operate as Habitat Homes at 30 Ordnance St., a new condo development in Toronto’s Liberty Village. This partnership represented the most units we’ve ever received through a developer partnership project.

The Habitat homeowners at Ordnance took occupancy of their new homes last summer. Thanks to their resiliency and the accommodations made by Cityzen, our families were able to move in before the second wave of COVID-19 hit.

Here is what one of our Habitat homeowners shared about her family’s experience:

“Moving homes is never easy. But in a COVID-19 world, where staying home is the safest option and maintaining physical distance is the expected norm, moving becomes even more challenging. So on the day of the move, my stress levels were running high.

But at the end of the day, when all said and done, the city’s breathtaking view, the excitement of my hard-to-please teenager, a brand new home that I have the privilege to raise my child in, and the knowledge that I already have a community with other Habitat partner families nearby made it a very satisfying experience.

It is true that a new home is not the end-game; the life that is lived in that home is. But the day of this move was a significant milestone for me. When I recall the moment I had arrived in Canada four years ago with my entire life in three suitcases, and then I look at myself now, I feel I have come a long way. And for that I have immense gratitude.”

-Habitat homeowner at Ordnance

2020 has reinforced that there is a lot more work to be done to create a just and equal society. Our heightened awareness of the existence of systemic racism has made our societal shortcomings more apparent. At Habitat GTA, our connection to our mission deepened around the notion that racialized populations are disproportionally impacted by the lack of affordable housing options in our region. In addition to our work in the community, Habitat GTA’s CEO, Ene Underwood, took the Black North Pledge on behalf of our organization, and joined the Black North Initiative’s Housing Committee.

We also looked internally to renew our focus on our guiding principle of Grounded in Inclusion. One of the initiatives we undertook was a staff book club to open a space for dialogue on race. We started by reading “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Iluo to help facilitate some difficult and honest discussions. 

Our guiding principle of Grounded in Inclusion is about so many things, with race being at the forefront in 2020. However, whether talking about race, sexual orientation, disability or faith, all dimensions of diversity strengthens us, and we’re fortunate to learn through each other’s lived experiences.