When two organizations devoted to enhancing housing affordability be a part of forces, the affect on Canadian communities is critical.
Mortgage Professionals Canada (MPC) not too long ago entered a partnership with Habitat for Humanity Canada, bringing collectively two nationwide organizations with complementary values to work in direction of a typical trigger — and giving mortgage brokers a extremely seen strategy to elevate their profile within the communities they serve.
“The apparent [alignment] is the housing side, however what was actually compelling for our committee and the board as an entire is the sense of neighborhood,” says incoming MPC board chair Maxime Stencer. “Habitat actually exemplifies that, with folks coming collectively from all completely different walks of life with a typical purpose of serving to the neighborhood.”
As a part of the brand new partnership, MPC has dedicated to a fundraising purpose of $100,000 over two years and organizing volunteers to help with the development of 10 properties throughout Canada.
Looking for a trigger brokers can get behind
Stencer says the seek for a non-profit accomplice started final yr following a reorganization effort that introduced the group’s beforehand exterior charitable basis in-house.
“We requested our board members to come back to us with concepts for charity companions in line with sure standards that matched MPC’s mission, values and imaginative and prescient, and Habitat was one which was urged by a board member,” he says. “We additionally needed a corporation that was current in each single province, so the nationwide scope of Habitat tied-in properly with the nationwide scope of MPC.”
Stencer explains that as every obtained to know the group, they continued to search out extra parallels. For instance, each are centered on the problem of reasonably priced residence possession in Canada, are volunteer led, have a observe document of celebrating the contributions of feminine members, and lean on pleasant competitors to get probably the most out of contributors.
“It’s actually vital for brokers throughout Canada to offer again to their neighborhood, and it is a strategy to give again in a really seen manner,” he provides. “We’re selecting up hammers, we’re selecting up saws, and the neighborhood will see mortgage brokers really giving again; not simply with their wallets, however with their effort and time.”
The MPC board was searching for a corporation that had sturdy title recognition and a robust observe document in Canada.
“It’s additionally enjoyable,” Stencer provides. “It brings folks collectively, they’ve enjoyable doing it, they usually’re pleased with the work they’re placing in. That’s what the mortgage business is all about; everyone works exhausting, however in addition they play exhausting.”
Two organizations, one mission
Although many affiliate Habitat for Humanity with its homebuilding initiatives in creating nations the worldwide group’s Canadian arm is targeted on supporting these in want right here at residence.
“Habitat Canada is all about offering alternatives for Canadians to buy their first residence, to construct fairness and to construct a brighter future,” says Pedro Barata, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada. “We notably deal with people and households who face vital obstacles to having the ability to provide you with a down cost.”
Barata provides that whereas public sector housing initiatives for low-income Canadians emphasize reasonably priced rental inventory, Habitat for Humanity is targeted on tackling the housing disaster by enhancing possession alternatives.
“It’s comprehensible for governments to place their emphasis on purpose-built rental, as a result of it’s nonetheless exhausting to do, however it’s much less of a heavy elevate,” he says. “That left a niche that now we now have to make up, and each Mortgage Professionals Canada and Habitat perceive that Canadians need to hold the dream of homeownership alive.”
Barata explains that whereas rising reasonably priced leases helps tackle the fast problem, Habitat is working in direction of longer-term options for Canadian households in want.
The group helps Canadians obtain homeownership by discovering methods to cut back buying prices, even eliminating down cost necessities altogether, by quite a lot of techniques.
“We work very exhausting to search out free or actually reasonably priced land to have decrease or no prices when it comes to growth costs,” Barata says. “We additionally take a look at how we will hold constructing prices low by, for instance, bringing in volunteers and fundraising.”
By way of these efforts, Habitat affords reasonably priced properties to Canadians who would in any other case be priced out of possession.
The affect of homeownership
And these aren’t simply anecdotal advantages. In a 2025 financial and social affect examine with Deloitte Canada, Habitat owners reported a 79% enhance in psychological well being and a 73% enchancment in bodily well being. and a 44% enchancment in employment. Half additionally famous improved faculty efficiency for his or her youngsters and larger neighborhood engagement; 51% mentioned they felt extra financially safe.
On common, households who moved into Habitat properties earned 28% greater than they might have as renters—including an estimated $168 million to Canada’s GDP between 2006 and 2023. Between 2019 and 2023 alone, Habitat’s reasonably priced housing actions generated $311 million in financial exercise and practically $40 million in tax revenues, whereas delivering lasting social good points.
“Whenever you take a look at the advantages to native economies, each because of constructing properties and by elevating incomes potential, these are actually good for the Canadian economic system,” Barata says. “It isn’t simply good that you simply’re doing this for folks; it’s actually vital for the nation and the type of communities we need to construct in Canada.”
Constructing consciousness collectively
The MPC partnership will end in new properties for Canadians in want, however it’ll additionally assist Habitat Canada rally assist for the work it does in communities throughout the nation, in line with its growth officer Shahla Habib.
“The overall consciousness piece has been such an enormous part of the partnership to date,” she says, including that Habitat has been invited to talk about its efforts and mission at regional MPC occasions from coast-to-coast. “The suggestions that we’ve gotten from members has been fairly optimistic. There’s an incredible urge for food to search out out what extra they’ll do to assist Habitat of their local people.”
Habib provides that she was shocked and delighted by how rapidly and enthusiastically the mortgage business lined as much as assist the group and its mission to deliver extra reasonably priced housing to Canada.
“They honestly perceive firsthand how transformative homeownership is and are seeing among the challenges and obstacles that households are up in opposition to,” she says. “They’ve actually been a mannequin company accomplice to Habitat, and we’re actually appreciative of all they’ve performed to date.”
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Final modified: August 20, 2025
