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