THE HABITAT - Habitat for Humanity Canada

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Habitat for Humanity Canada News & Views
Possibility and Progress
Starts With Home
New Habitat Program Targeting the
Key Activities Proven to Build
Sustainable Communities
There’s No Place Like Home
The Impact of a Safe, Secure Place to Live
Transforming Communities
Through Leadership
and Collaboration
National Leadership Council to
be a Voice for Change
Habitat for Humanity Abroad
Government Support Received
for Haiti Projects; Volunteers
Building a Global Village
Building Homes with Hope
Writing Contest Winner to Provide
a Wellington County Family with
the Hand Up of Homeownership
COVER: CHRISTINA RYAN AND HER DAUGHTER,
EMILY, AT THEIR FULLY ACCESSIBLE HABITAT
HOME IN CALGARY, AB (PHOTO BY CHRIS BOLIN)
The Habitat Spirit, a
publication of Habitat
for Humanity Canada,
seeks to promote
communication, discussion
and networking among
Habitat for Humanity
affiliates, volunteers
and supporters.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
SHOULD BE SENT TO:
HABITAT FOR
HUMANITY CANADA
477 Mount Pleasant Rd.,
Suite 105, Toronto, ON
M4S 2L9 1.800.667.5137
Fax: 416.646.0574
habitat@habitat.ca
www.habitat.ca
PHOTO CREDITS:
The photos contained in
this newsletter were
provided courtesy of
Habitat for Humanity
Canada, its affiliates and
HFHI unless attributed
otherwise.
Visit the newly
redesigned
habitat.ca!
Earlier this year, HFHC
launched a redesigned
website, which we hope
will offer our volunteers
and donors more up to
date and dynamic content
that is easier to access
and browse. Check it out
at habitat.ca, and visit
us on facebook to tell
us what you think!
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Christina Ryan
John McMahon
Jean Geary
Soapbox Design
Communications Inc.
RR Donnelley
HFHI
HFHC Resource
Development Team
A Message from our
President & CEO
Building Our Organization’s
Ability to Impact More
Families and Communities
Now into our second quarter-century in Canada,
we are looking to 2011 to be our most successful yet.
A major accomplishment of this year will be the
completion of our 2,000th house, which will be built
over a two-week blitz build in Winnipeg, Manitoba
this July. Interestingly, this home will be built adjacent
to Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg’s 200th house,
and both will be built as part of the third phase of
the Sir Sam Steele housing development — the
greenest affordable housing project in Canada,
which will provide shelter to 32 low-income
families once completed.
With 72 affiliates across Canada, Habitat for
Humanity has the presence needed to serve the majority
of the Canadian population in housing need. So, in
order to increase our organization’s impact, we must
focus on ensuring that our affiliates have the tools
they need to build more homes than ever before.
For us at Habitat for Humanity Canada, this means
constantly innovating our programs and looking for
new ways to serve families and communities.
Habitat for Humanity’s key activities focus on
providing homeownership while reducing
environmental impact; ensuring that our partner
families have the tools they need to succeed
with their new home; engaging our volunteers;
collaborating and partnering with surrounding
communities, and private and public partners;
and, ensuring the safety of our build sites and other
work areas. Ultimately, the ability of our affiliates
to serve more families each year does not come
down to just the wood and nails required to build
the home, but rather to developing their capacity
in each and every one of these key areas. This is
why Habitat for Humanity Canada is launching the
360 Built Smart Partnership, a program that has
identified each of these activities as a pillar, and
will drive support to our affiliates for capacitybuilding
relating to each (read more about the 360
Built Smart Partnership on page 6).
Another way we are looking to extend our
organization’s ability to serve more low-income
families is through ReNew It, a program that
will enable our affiliates to assist families with
owner-occupied properties by working with
volunteers to undertake critical repairs or needed
modifications. Staying consistent with the same
principals we apply to our homeownership program,
ReNew It will require qualified applicants to repay
the cost of materials and contracted services at no
interest and through affordable monthly payments.
These programs will enable us to impact more
families and communities, but as always, this will
only be made possible through the dedication
and passion of our supporters. Whether you have
volunteered with an affiliate, have donated to our
cause or advocated on our behalf, you’ve been a
critical part of our past and the success we were able
to achieve in our first 25 years. As we look to the
future of our organization — focused on building
even more homes for more families — your
continued support and dedication is needed now
more than ever. Be a part of our past and our future;
join us this year in breaking the cycle of poverty
for low-income Canadians.
Sincerely,
Stewart Hardacre
President & CEO
Habitat for Humanity Canada
2 THE HABITAT SPIRIT Spring/Summer 2011 To donate, participate or advocate visit www.habitat.ca 3