THE HABITAT - Habitat for Humanity Canada

Please help us
transform the lives
of more families like
the Ryan’s. Please
give to Habitat for
Humanity Canada.
Transforming Communities Through
Leadership and Collaboration
Stewart Hardacre, President & CEO, Habitat for Humanity Canada
There’s No Place
Like Home
The Impact of a Safe, Secure
Place to Live
For a single mother of two working three jobs while putting
herself through school, finding out that the apartment
she rented was being sold was not welcome news. Finding
a place where her daughter, Emily, who suffers from
Down syndrome, could live wasn’t easy.
“There just weren’t a lot of options for a single mom with
two kids, one who is in a wheelchair,” says Christina Ryan.
Financially stressed in one of Canada’s most unaffordable
housing markets, Christina turned to Habitat for Humanity
Calgary. She attended a family information session, applying
for a home with a zero interest mortgage that would be
geared to her income.
Several months later, Christina received the news that
she’d been hoping for — Habitat for Humanity Calgary
had matched her with a home they were planning to build.
“After meeting Christina, we knew that the hand up of
a Habitat home would empower her to do many of the
things that she was not previously able, while substantially
improving the standard of living of her and her daughters,”
said John McMahon, Habitat for Humanity Calgary
Faith Coordinator.
In 2008, Habitat for Humanity Calgary had completed
a fully accessible home for the Ryan family in the community
of Evanston in Northwest Calgary.
Now, Christina no longer has to carry her daughter
and wheelchair up and down stairs as she had to at their
apartment building, a task she says she wouldn’t be able
to do now that Emily is almost 12 years old. And the
affordable mortgage payments allowed Christina to
purchase a vehicle with a wheelchair lift.
“We can now do more things and go more places as
a family,” she says.
Christina has also found professional success, opening
her own photography business and regularly lends her
skills to her local Habitat for Humanity affiliate that made
it all possible.
PHOTO BY CHRIS BOLIN
2010 was a landmark year for
Habitat for Humanity Canada, it marked
25 years of breaking the cycle of poverty
by offering families in need of affordable
housing a dignified and permanent solution.
By the end of the year, an additional 238
families across the country had recieved the
hand up of homeownership — the greatest
number in our 25-year history.
Sadly however, housing insecurity
remains a persistent issue affecting
1.3 million Canadian families.
According to a recent Wellesley
Institute report, the effect of the lack
of affordable housing on Canadians’
health is reducing our nation’s
productivity, limiting our national
competitiveness, and indirectly driving
up the cost of health care and welfare
(“Precarious Housing in Canada,” 2010).
The nationwide affordable housing crisis
is costly to individuals, communities,
the economy, and the government.
Together, we can and must do more.
That’s why Habitat for Humanity Canada
has created a National Leadership Council,
a group of prominent Canadian leaders
who are passionate about creating
solutions to Canada’s housing crisis.
They have pledged to devote their
personal time, expertise and influence
to raise awareness and understanding
of the problem of inadequate housing
and the effectiveness of solutions
centered around homeownership.
We are delighted that Cossette
President and CEO Brett Marchand,
who has led his agency to international
acclaim, has agreed to chair the Council.
To date, invitations to join the Council
have also been accepted by:
CEO, Delta Hotels and Resorts
Holcim (Canada) Inc.
Tachane Foundation
We will also be announcing council
members from The Home Depot Canada,
MCAP, and RBC shortly.
Habitat for Humanity’s work is well
known, but not always fully understood.
Many people are familiar with our builds,
but are unaware that our model empowers
families to own their own home. Partner
families take out affordable, interest-free
mortgages that are paid into a revolving
fund, which is used to help other families
in housing need by financing future
builds. Many people are also often
unaware of the links between housing
insecurity and the determinants of health,
educational outcomes and employment.
Because many of our National
Leadership Council members have been
involved with our cause for a number
of years, witnessing the impact of our
work, they are best-placed to tell our
story and inspire others to get involved
as donors, volunteers and advocates.
They know first-hand that housing is so
much more than four walls and a roof: it
is a point of transformation that opens
the door to education, health, security
and dignity. They have seen families lifted
up as children’s grades improve and
parents are able to start saving for their
futures. They’ve seen families once
dependent on social services become
taxpayers and contributors to the
economic base of the community.
They understand that an investment
in housing isn’t a band-aid solution; it
is a gateway to change, and change
that lasts for generations.
The National Leadership Council
will be a powerful voice for change.
With respected leaders sharing our
message with communities nationwide,
we will inspire more Canadians than
ever before to invest in Habitat for
Humanity: a permanent and perpetual
investment that pays itself back time
and time and time again. Look for
more information on the Council in
the coming months.
“Since becoming involved with Habitat for Humanity Canada, I’ve become more aware of the
struggles that many families face when it comes to housing insecurity. As business leaders,
I believe that we must take a leadership position on the issue and we must do so by investing in
the development of Canadian communities. I am eager to play a meaningful role on Habitat’s
National Leadership Council — driving awareness and support to Habitat’s work across the country.
I’ve seen the transformation that results when a family moves into a home that they own and
it is this transformative impact that gives me hope that our contribution to this issue is truly
making a difference,” Hank Stackhouse, CEO, Delta Hotels and Resorts
8 THE HABITAT SPIRIT Spring/Summer 2011 To donate, to advocate or participate visit www.habitat.ca 9