When two organizations devoted to bettering housing affordability be a part of forces, the affect on Canadian communities is critical.
Mortgage Professionals Canada (MPC) lately 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 increase their profile within the communities they serve.
“The apparent [alignment] is the housing facet, 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 aim of serving to the neighborhood.”
As a part of the brand new partnership, MPC has dedicated to a fundraising aim 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 companion started final 12 months 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 keeping with sure standards that matched MPC’s mission, values and imaginative and prescient, and Habitat was one which was steered by a board member,” he says. “We additionally wished a company that was current in each single province, so the nationwide scope of Habitat tied-in nicely with the nationwide scope of MPC.”
Stencer explains that as every obtained to know the group, they continued to seek out extra parallels. For instance, each are targeted on the problem of reasonably priced house possession in Canada, are volunteer led, have a observe report of celebrating the contributions of feminine members, and lean on pleasant competitors to get probably the most out of members.
“It’s actually necessary for brokers throughout Canada to present again to their neighborhood, and it is a strategy to give again in a really seen means,” he provides. “We’re selecting up hammers, we’re selecting up saws, and the neighborhood will see mortgage brokers truly giving again; not simply with their wallets, however with their effort and time.”
The MPC board was searching for a company that had sturdy identify recognition and a powerful observe report in Canada.
“It’s additionally enjoyable,” Stencer provides. “It brings folks collectively, they’ve enjoyable doing it, and so they’re happy with the work they’re placing in. That’s what the mortgage business is all about; everyone works onerous, however additionally they play onerous.”
Two organizations, one mission
Although many affiliate Habitat for Humanity with its homebuilding tasks in creating nations the worldwide group’s Canadian arm is concentrated on supporting these in want right here at house.
“Habitat Canada is all about offering alternatives for Canadians to buy their first house, to construct fairness and to construct a brighter future,” says Pedro Barata, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada. “We significantly deal with people and households who face important limitations to with the ability to give you a down cost.”
Barata provides that whereas public sector housing tasks for low-income Canadians emphasize reasonably priced rental inventory, Habitat for Humanity is concentrated 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 onerous to do, but it surely’s much less of a heavy raise,” he says. “That left a niche that now we’ve to make up, and each Mortgage Professionals Canada and Habitat perceive that Canadians wish to hold the dream of homeownership alive.”
Barata explains that whereas growing reasonably priced leases helps tackle the speedy 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 a wide range of ways.
“We work very onerous to seek out free or actually reasonably priced land to have decrease or no prices by way of improvement fees,” Barata says. “We additionally take a look at how we are able to hold constructing prices low by, for instance, bringing in volunteers and fundraising.”
Via these efforts, Habitat presents 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 householders reported a 79% increase 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 better neighborhood engagement; 51% stated they felt extra financially safe.
On common, households who moved into Habitat properties earned 28% greater than they’d 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 almost $40 million in tax revenues, whereas delivering lasting social positive factors.
“Once 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 just’re doing this for folks; it’s actually necessary for the nation and the form of communities we wish to construct in Canada.”
Constructing consciousness collectively
The MPC partnership will lead to new properties for Canadians in want, however it can additionally assist Habitat Canada rally help for the work it does in communities throughout the nation, in keeping with its improvement officer Shahla Habib.
“The overall consciousness piece has been such a large part of the partnership to date,” she says, including that Habitat has been invited to discuss 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 awesome urge for food to seek out out what extra they will do to assist Habitat of their local people.”
Habib provides that she was stunned and delighted by how shortly and enthusiastically the mortgage business lined as much as help the group and its mission to carry extra reasonably priced housing to Canada.
“They really perceive firsthand how transformative homeownership is and are seeing among the challenges and limitations that households are up towards,” she says. “They’ve actually been a mannequin company companion to Habitat, and we’re actually appreciative of all they’ve completed to date.”
Visited 87 instances, 7 go to(s) right this moment
habitat for humanity homeownership mortgage professionals canada mpc Pedro Barata Shahla Habib volunteering
Final modified: August 20, 2025
