Habitat for Humanity builds affordable homes for families in need in the Halton region of Ontario. Over 8.5% of the local population lives below the poverty line, with around 43,000 people struggling with inadequate housing. Habitat addresses this issue by providing no-interest mortgages and requiring 500 hours of "sweat equity" from partner families. This model empowers families by building their equity over time while keeping their housing costs low. The funds from mortgage payments are reinvested into building more homes through Habitat's revolving fund.

1. 2 3
WE BUILD
HOPE
Habitat for Humanity Halton
1800 Appleby Line, Unit 10
Burlington, ON L7L 6A1
Tel: 905-637-4446 / 1-866-314-4344
Fax: 905-637-1540
Email: office@habitathalton.ca
www.habitathalton.ca
BN#86607 2432 RR0001
Brochure generously sponsored by:
“I look forward to putting my daughter to bed and her not being cold.
She hasn’t had a window in her room in four years, so she’s very excited
to have one.”
A Habitat Homeowner
John Stewart/Habitat for Humanity

2. 1
MISSION
VISION
OUR VALUESThe Cornerstone of Our Commitment
Habitat for Humanity Halton builds more than houses. We help build stronger, healthier families through
homeownership. Our homeownership program is a business model that works, on so many levels. It is a smart
and successful cycle of investment and reinvestment that ultimately pays big dividends in terms of stronger
families, stronger communities and a stronger economy.
Habitat for Humanity Halton faces a unique set of challenges, not the least of which is the perception that
affluence and a very high standard of living are generally enjoyed by all residents of our region. Sadly, this is not
the case. In spite of our apparent wealth, 1 in 9 Halton residents live below the low income level.
Here are the facts:*
Of the 501,699 people who live here, 8.5% live under the poverty line – that’s almost 43,000 people.
A recent state of housing report indicated that about 2,000 low income applicants are waiting to be housed.
Each year, an estimated 1,200 Halton residents become homeless due to the lack of affordable housing.
More than 90,300 tenant households spend more than 30% of their income on rent.
The average price of a home in Burlington and in Oakville is $400,000.
Affordable homeownership is the key that unlocks the door for these individuals and their families. Habitat for
Humanity Halton is dedicated to this one endeavour – providing access to that key to a new life, not just the
keys to a new house.
Please take a moment to find out how Habitat for Humanity Halton is transforming lives, neighbourhoods and
communities – one home, one family at a time.
*Sources: Stats Canada data, 2006-2011; 2008 Housing Report for Halton Region
INVEST
IN YOUR
COMMUNITY
One goal – so many benefits for all
Housing for All
Human Dignity
Partnership
Faith in Action
Diversity and Inclusiveness
A world where everyone has a safe and
decent place to live.
To use our knowledge, skills, community
relationships, volunteers and other
resources to create and promote safe and
affordable homeownership options with
the aim of alleviating the cycle of poverty
within our community.
Around the world and throughout the
organization, all Habitat for Humanity
affiliates share these values in common:
We believe that access to safe, decent
and affordable homeownership is a basic
human right that should be available to all.
We believe in the worth and dignity of
every human being. We respect the people
we serve and those who help us in this
effort. People are our greatest resource.
We believe we can best achieve our
mission through meaningful and mutually
beneficial partnership with others.
We believe that faith is lived through
action. Building on our Christian
foundation, we serve and work with people
of all faiths and beliefs in a spirit of justice
and compassion.
We believe there is a role for everyone
committed to our vision, mission
and values, and we seek to enrich our
organization through diversity.

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In Spring 2011, Ginger registered for Habitat for Humanity Halton’s HomeWORKS program. Since then this
busy working mom of four has not looked back. After taking the free five-week financial course Ginger realized
that she needed to make some changes in her life. She cleaned up her finances, made some changes in her
personal life and dreamed of owning her own home for her family.
Ginger and her four children were living in a small and overcrowded townhouse. One of the children’s bedrooms
was in an unfinished concrete basement – a space shared with the furnace, washing machine and dryer, and
windows too small to serve as an emergency exit. The townhouse had exhibited health challenges such as a
mould problem in the bathroom which created breathing problems for one of her children.
Ginger applied to Habitat’s HomeOwnership program and after a few months became the successful applicant
for Habitat for Humanity Halton’s new home in Milton. Ginger is also a member of our dedicated HomeWORKS
committee keeping us on track with her lived experience.
From HomeWORKS to homeowner, Ginger tells the Habitat story.
It is the impact of homeownership on the families themselves that is nothing short of transformational. Our
partner families like Ginger’s tell us this through the stories they have shared with us. Homeownership enables
and empowers families. Building Homes. Building Hope.
“A home is the framework for life. It is the place to live and love and grow
into all a person can be.”
Susan Goetz, Habitat for Humanity Canada, Volunteer of the Year 2006
FROM
HOMEWORKS TO
HOMEOWNERSHIP

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A SAFE,
DECENT
AFFORDABLE
HOME
“Not having a stable home has been very stressful emotionally for our
family. In the last four or five years we’ve had to move quite frequently. The
places we were living in were either infested with rodents and bugs and
landlords were claiming bankruptcy. It’s nice to know we finally have our
very own safe place to call home.”
A Habitat Homeowner
Housing is the single largest expense for low and moderate income families. Many Canadians now spend more
than 50% and up to 70% of their income just to keep a roof over their head, and often that roof is not a very
good one. Unfortunately, substandard rental conditions do exist, and they reek of mould, feature leaky pipes or
lack proper heating, all of which can pose serious health risks to tenants.
Trapped in this never-ending cycle of paying rent, struggling to put food on the table and just trying to stay
afloat financially every month, these vulnerable families never have a chance to save for a down payment, so
they will never have a chance to access capital that builds equity, to ensure that their children live and play in a
safe neighbourhood, or to develop or achieve their own life goals.
Habitat for Humanity provides a solution to affordable housing. We know that homeownership enables and
empowers families. Over time, a family’s equity in their home increases. Habitat homeowners also see an
improvement in their overall financial situation, since their interest-free mortgage is amortized to ensure that
the payments are never more than 30% of their income.
John Stewart/Habitat for Humanity

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HOW HABITAT
FOR HUMANITY
WORKS
Habitat for Humanity offers a hand up, not a hand out
“It felt as though my hands were praying. Not just because they were so
sore after hammering all day, it was because I knew that together with
our synagogue members we were not only building a house, we were also
building a dream for a family in need.”
Rabbi Stephen Wise
Contrary to a popular misconception, Habitat for Humanity does not give away homes. Eligible homeowners
must be “in housing need” and meet income requirements relating to their family size. Habitat partner families
purchase their homes at the appraised Fair Market Value.
Habitat for Humanity is founded on the belief that decent, affordable housing is a basic human need. Habitat
homes are affordable for low-income families because:
No down-payment is required
No interest is charge on the mortgage
To qualify for a Habitat for Humanity house, the family must be:
Living below the poverty-line and their living conditions are inadequate in terms of structure, cost,
safety or size
Willing to pay back a long-term no-interest mortgage
Willing to put in 500 hours of “sweat equity”
The family agrees to pay back the cost of the house through the mortgage payment and the default rate on these
mortgages is less than 1%. Moreover, mortgages are held by Habitat affiliates, not by a financial institution.
Each year, thousands of volunteers take up the challenge to build new homes across communities to address
the ever-rising need for affordable housing.
Additionally,HabitatforHumanityisaresponsiblebuilderofhomes,committedtomanagingourenvironmental
impact. For that reason, we strive to build green according to or beyond Energy Star qualifications to reduce
our carbon footprint.
Ezra Millstein/Habitat for Humanity.

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The more homes we build,
the more homes we can build
Habitat for Humanity’s homeownership program doesn’t end when the family unlocks their door and walks into
their new home. By reinvesting all donations and mortgage payments back into the homeownership program
through Habitat’s revolving Fund for Humanity, more homes can be built to give other families in financially
vulnerable circumstances a hand up. The mortgage income received from 12 homes can fund one additional
home.
CYCLE OF HOPE
1
We identify eligible
homeowners and prepare
them for homeownership.
4
Their home is
purchased with a
downpayment of 500
hours of sweat equity.
2
We help them to
build their homes
with donated funds,
materials and
volunteer labour.
3
6
We reinvest all
donations and mortgage
payments back into the
homeownership program
5
Their interest-free
mortgage is amortized
to ensure payments
are no more than 30%
of their income
“We provide our partner families with the tools they need to help
them break the cycle of poverty… [through Habitat for Humanity]
more low-income Canadians will gain access to homeownership that is
affordable, igniting a transformation within these families that will last for
generations to come.”
Stewart Hardacre, Past President & CEO, Habitat for Humanity Canada
Kim MacDonald/Habitat for Humanity
100% of your donations go
to home building: Restore
profits pay for all operation
costs.

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AFFORDABLE
HOMEOWNERSHIP
TRANSFORMS
COMMUNITIES
“Sometimes things in life can be hard but having a good home can make a
difference. Home means fun, love and care.”
Edie, Genworth Financial Canada’s The Meaning of Home Contest Winner, 2011
Habitat for Humanity build projects offer an opportunity for community members, from all walks of life, to
come together and work side by side in a meaningful way. One only has to experience the infectious enthusiasm
on Build Days to see how deeply bonded communities become when united by a common goal.
In terms of the big picture, however, homeownership translates into stable housing, and stable housing creates
a ripple effect across an entire community. Former renters become homeowners who contribute to the tax base.
When people spend less on rent, they have more disposable income for the necessities such as food, utilities,
childcare, and educational and recreational pursuits for their families.
Studies have shown that it costs less to provide individuals with permanent housing than it does to provide crisis
or shelter services to them. Putting families into homes that they can afford helps to relieve the pressure from
our already strained social housing services and reduces the cost to the taxpayer. Affordable homeownership
means a more sustainable community.
And because poverty is multigenerational, housing one family for a lifetime by helping them to acquire a
permanenthomewillbreakthecycleofpovertyforthatfamily.Homeownershipisaformofwealthaccumulation
through equity building, which means that the benefits of homeownership for a family are both immediate
and long-term. Homeownership builds multigenerational wealth, for the family and in the community.
Gregg Pachkowski /Habitat for Humanity

8. 12 13
“I want to work with children, in social work, maybe. Habitat has inspired
me to continue helping people. I now have a plan, and will finally be able
to put it into action.”
A Habitat Homeowner
OUR GOAL
TRANSFORM LIVESSince its inception in 1999, Habitat for Humanity Halton has built on average one home per year and helped
alleviate the cycle of poverty for 17 families. We are on the verge of exciting change which will impact more
families than ever in the Halton Region.
Beginning in 2013, Habitat for Humanity Halton will build an average of 10 homes per year and positively
impact the lives of more low-income families in Halton Region.
With limited availability of land in the Halton Region plus the high cost of land that is available, Habitat for
Humanity Halton is expanding its approach to help families purchase safe, decent and affordable homes. In
partnership with our local municipalities and community partners, we are creating a variety of affordable
homeownership options – single family, semi-detached, townhouses and condominiums. These homes will
allow us to accommodate a variety of families that are desirable for a healthy and diverse community, and
help to positively shape the lives of future generations of children and families.
We are committed to playing an active role with Halton Region to continue to raise awareness and to create a
Community Poverty Reduction Plan. Indeed, Habitat for Humanity Halton works with local government, as
our reputation, our expertise and experience affords us valuable insights into the issue of housing insecurity
in our region.
Kim MacDonald/Habitat for Humanity

9. 14 15
“Affluent communities are not immune to the challenges of affordable
housing. Rather, the issue is masked, overshadowed by the vast majority of
residents who do enjoy a high standard of living. This is the case in Halton
Region.”
Source: Comprehensive Housing Strategy for Halton Region 2006-2015+
INVEST IN OUR
PEOPLE AND OUR
COMMUNITYHabitat for Humanity Halton is making a difference in the Halton Region. Some working families who
purchase homes from Habitat Halton had been spending up to 70% of their income on rent, while others had
been living in substandard conditions.
No family, no individual in this affluent region of the country should have to decide between heat or rent,
a roof over one’s head or food. The urgent need for decent affordable housing in Halton Region is growing
exponentially and the fallout from this crisis will eventually impact all of us.
Habitat for Humanity Halton is a lean and efficient organization that keeps administration costs remarkably
low, considering what we have been able to achieve. All donations received go directly towards our programs.
Our administration costs are 100% funded through revenues generated from our ReStore, and fundraising
helps to offset the expense of materials, services and land not provided through donations.
A safe, healthy living environment contributes to the positive development of children. Habitat for Humanity
has recorded many examples of children from Habitat partner families becoming healthier, completing a post-
secondary education and establishing successful careers. Habitat for Humanity homeowner data reveals that
62% of Habitat homeowners report an immediate improvement in school grades, while older children gain the
stability in their home life that enables the pursuit of higher education.
Home means many things to many people, but for Habitat partner families, home is a dream come true.
Chuck FlanaganHabitat for Humanity

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YOUR
INVESTMENT
IN YOUR
COMMUNITY WILL
Allow families to purchase homes at cost with no down payment.
Provide the lumber and other materials needed to build the home.
Provide families with the information they need to be successful homeowners.
Provide families with a stable environment and the chance to save money.
Increase their educational and job prospects.
Enhance their pride and dignity.
Provide the foundation for strong, healthy sustainable neighbourhoods and communities in the
Halton Region.
Most of all, it will give a family the opportunity to dream and plan for a brighter future. Habitat for Humanity
not only builds homes, we build dignity, we build hope and we build futures. But we need your financial help
so that we can continue to offer a hand up to more local families now and in the years ahead. Remember, the
more we build, the more we can build. Everyone benefits when we create new homeowners.
Acton, Burlington, Georgetown, Halton Hills or Oakville – we are all bound by geography and a sense of
community. Together we can build a more vibrant region, one home at a time. The task is great, but it starts
with YOU.
“Home is a place where many lessons are taught and learned. It is a place
where you first learn your numbers and letters and how to share with
your siblings. It is where you learn the meaning of friendship and how to
become a good citizen of the world.”
Hannah - Genworth Financial Canada’s The Meaning of Home Contest Semi-finalist 2011
You are the key that will open the door to another safe, decent affordable
home for another local family.
What will you build?
Kim MacDonald/Habitat for Humanity