Our Vision

A world where everyone has a decent and affordable place to live.

What We Do

Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.

Habitat Homeowner and family in kitchen.

Who We Are

Working with our donors, supporters, and partners, Habitat Greater Ottawa offers Ottawa families an affordable path to homeownership —a permanent solution to housing instability.

For over 30 years, we have been the only local charity that works directly with the community to provide a sustainable path to homeownership. Together, we build safe, decent, and permanently affordable homes, giving families a real opportunity to build generational wealth and break the cycle of housing instability.

Through innovative home construction, repair, and financing, skills training and advocacy, Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.

We also operate one of Ottawa’s largest and longest-running social enterprises, the ReStore, a local department store destination for affordable, high-quality furniture, home décor, clothing, and building materials. We also accept donations of new and gently used home goods from the public and corporate partners. The ReStore is open to the public in Stittsville (3 Iber Road), Train Yards (768 Belfast Road), and Hintonburg (250 City Centre Avenue, Unit #118).

All profits generated go directly back into Habitat Greater Ottawa thereby helping more families access safe and decent housing.

Our Values

Drawing of two people high fiving as the image for our Embrace Diversity Value.
Embrace Diversity
promote a culture of inclusivity
Drawing of three people with a word bubble above their heads as the image for our Work Together Value.
Work Together
collaborate and encourage teamwork across all aspects of our organization
Drawing of a pink heart as the image for our Be Compassionate Value.
Be Compassionate
practice empathy and create empowering opportunities for others
Drawing of a head with a light bulb in the middle of the head as the image for our Go Beyond Value.
Go Beyond
strive for excellence and contribute to growth, improvement and new ideas
Cartoon of a person placing their hands on their heart with stars surrounding them as the image for our Practice Gratitude Value.
Practice Gratitude
appreciate the impact that donors, volunteers, staff and the community have on our mission
Cartoon of a smiley face as the image for our Have Fun Value.
Have Fun!
contribute to a positive and lighthearted atmosphere and celebrate each other’s successes

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa is on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land, and by doing so, give our respect to its first inhabitants. Habitat Greater Ottawa honours all First Nations, Inuit, Métis and all Indigenous peoples and their valuable past, present and future contributions in strengthening and shaping our communities.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee’s Mission Statement

At Habitat Greater Ottawa we are committed to removing barriers and creating diverse communities. We will continue to strive to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices of our families, employees and volunteers.

Our Strategic Plan

Our board of directors has set a five-year roadmap to help us increase our community outreach and serve more families each year.  The team at Habitat Greater Ottawa has ambitious plans to increase its number of families served. To that end, the Board of Directors maintains a five-year Strategic Plan which is refreshed every year.

Habitat Greater Ottawa’s five-year Strategic Plan is refreshed every year and aligns with Habitat for Humanity Canada’s National Strategic Plan across the following five pillars: Housing Innovation; Optimal Performance; Mobilizing Leadership; Epic Engagement and Sustainable Funding.

The Habitat for Humanity Story

Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 in Americus, Georgia by Millard and Linda Fuller. The ongoing involvement of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, through the Jimmy Carter Work Project that began in 1984, has brought wide-spread global awareness to our organization and its work. Today, Habitat for Humanity is a true world leader in addressing issues of poverty and housing, and operates in 70 countries internationally.

Click here to visit Habitat for Humanity International’s website to learn more about Habitat’s international story.

Read more about the Habitat for Humanity Story

Founded in 1985, Habitat for Humanity Canada is a national, charitable organization working toward a world where everyone has a decent and affordable place to call home. With the help of volunteers, Habitat homeowners and 54 local Habitats working in every province and territory, we provide a solid foundation for better, healthier lives in Canada and around the world. For more information, click here to visit Habitat for Humanity Canada’s website.

Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa has been providing families with a safe and affordable path to homeownership since 1993 and has served 104 local families over the last 32 years, including over 160 children. As an independent charitable non-profit led by a local Board of Directors, we partner with over 1,000 volunteers a year, and along with donors, community and future homeowners, build safe and affordable homes for local families.

Habitat Greater Ottawa runs one of Ottawa’s largest and longest-running social enterprises, ReStore, a department store style retailer that accepts and resells new and gently used furniture, appliances, décor, clothing and home improvement building materials and more donated by corporate partners and members of the community. The ReStore is open to the public and all profits from the ReStore go directly back into funding Habitat Greater Ottawa operations thereby helping more families access safe, decent and affordable housing. Click here to learn more about ReStore.

Accessibility Compliance Reports are publicly available upon request.
Click here to view  the 2020 Accessibility Compliance Report. 

For media inquiries regarding our programs and activities, please contact soey@habitatgo.com.