Impact Report 2022 - Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa

a letter from leadership

Kristen Holinsky, Interim CEO

Scott Stevenson, Board Chair

After two years of virtual events, starts and stops and closings and re-openings, we were delighted to see the return of a bustling build site, busy ReStores and the opportunity to hand over the keys (in person!) to our Habitat families.

There was a lot to celebrate in 2022 as we broke ground on a brand-new build in a brand-new community and welcomed eight new homeowners to their home at Titus Landing. As we reflect on this past year, we also look forward to celebrating important upcoming milestones.

2023 marks 30 years of building better, brighter futures for local families. In 1993, a group of dedicated volunteers saw the vital need for affordable housing in the city, and a year later communities came together to complete the first Habitat Greater Ottawa homes on Monique Street. At the time, two families were given the keys to their Habitat homes. We now look forward to serving our 100th family in 2024 with the planned completion of Kemptville Korners in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Thousand Islands.

Despite the celebrations, we know that 2022 was also the year where the affordable housing crisis was at the forefront of both the public and the government at all levels. According to a 2022 Habitat Canada Housing Survey, 87% of Ontarians believe that owning a home can create more stability in one’s life. It’s clear the need for affordable housing is no longer an issue contained within a certain demographic. It is impacting us all.

The resilience and optimism of our partners, supporters and staff is what kept us growing and moving forward over the last two years of uncertainty and we brought those qualities with us into 2022. The impact we have achieved over the past year is possible thanks to supporters like you. To all our sponsors, donors, volunteers and ReStore customers – thank you. We are incredibly grateful for your ongoing partnership. Together, we will continue our work towards a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live.

making an impact:
2022 by the numbers

8 families

moved into their Habitat Greater Ottawa homes.

488 volunteers

contributed their time, skills and experience to Habitat Greater Ottawa.

12,765 hours

of volunteer time contributed to supporting Habitat Greater Ottawa programs and events.

$609,187

funds raised to build more homes in more communities for local families.

year in review: laying the groundwork

The lack of affordable housing in Ottawa is an ongoing issue that has been exacerbated by the continued rise in the basic costs of living, making our work to create a world where everyone has a safe, affordable place to live more important than ever.

We know how important affordable housing is to helping families, and communities to build the foundation for a better, more equitable life with better choices and more opportunities.

This is why our work continues to be important to families and communities. And it’s why for 2022 our focus was not just on delivering as many affordable homes as possible, but on setting the groundwork to do even more in 2023 and beyond.

the need for
affordable housing

23.8%

of households in Ottawa are spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs. ¹

nearly 1 in 8

of Ontario households are living in a core housing need. ²

*households in core housing need live in an unsuitable, inadequate or unaffordable dwelling and cannot afford alternative housing in their community.

40%

of Canadians are concerned about paying their mortgage or rent over the next 12 months. ³

87%

of people in Ontario agree that owning a home can create more stability in one’s life. ³

supporting donors, customers and the environment

With over $2 million in sales and over 130 thousand visits to both locations, our ReStores continued to thrive into 2022 both in-store and online. Among the highlights was the Place D’Oree donation where the ReStore picked up over 2,500 items of new furniture and decor. This tremendous donation was sold throughout the year for a total of $185,000.

As a social enterprise retailer, all profits from ReStore operations fund Habitat Greater Ottawa in helping more families access safe and affordable housing. Every time you shop at the ReStore not only are you supporting local families in your community, you’re supporting the environment by donating and upcycling gently used furniture, appliances and construction materials and diverting waste from landfills.

Thank you to our valued ReStore customers, donors and volunteers for your ongoing support and for making 2022 a success!

ReStore 2022
by the numbers

10,514 donations

of gently used furniture, appliances, home décor, construction materials and more from community and business partners.

$2,227,100

total sales in-store and online.

4,500 hours

contributed by ReStore volunteers at both locations and at ReStore events.

182,340 visits

to our Online ReStore, restoregoshop.ca.

2,102,800 pounds

of waste diverted from local landfill (over 1000 tons!)

welcome home:
Titus Landing

Homeownership was something many of us thought was out of reach. But now, we stand before you today ready to accept the keys to our very own home. And that is thanks to Habitat for Humanity and all of you.

Oumou, Titus Landing Homeowner

What started out as an overcast, rainy day turned into a memorable gathering of Habitat supporters and partner families at our first in-person Key Ceremony since 2019. As the clouds broke and the sun began to shine through, our volunteers, sponsors, donors and city leaders gathered to congratulate our Habitat Partner Families as they officially moved on to the next stage of their lives.

The Titus Landing development was no small feat to build as our dedicated crew worked through despite the build delays and supply-chain issues due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Starting mid-2021 into 2022 we safely welcomed Habitat Build Day teams back onto the build site. Our build crew, along with our amazing volunteers, helped ensure the homes were move-in ready by summer 2022. This development would not have been possible without the tremendous support of Canada Lands Company and our Titus Landing Development Sponsor, Red Roof Foundation.

As our first stacked townhome development, the build features a snow melt system to guarantee our accessible unit is safe and well-functioning – a huge thank you to Watts Canada for this donation. We’re also proud to say this is our most energy-efficient build to date resulting in lower utility costs for all Titus Landing families.

This development will provide pathways to affordable and well-built homes for 15 hard-working families who would otherwise not be able to purchase one in our community.

Mayor Nancy Peckford, Mayor of North Grenville, ON

After much anticipation, Habitat Greater Ottawa, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Thousand Islands, officially broke ground on Kemptville Korners in fall of 2022! Construction started soon after with great progress thanks to a partnership with several Ontario companies including Nudura and ISPAN. This build will be our most airtight to date, with very high performance wall and floor assemblies, creating safe and comfortable units. Ready for any weather with structural ICF exterior and partition walls, making it almost indestructible, even in extreme weather.

We welcomed many enthusiastic Habitat Build Day Groups from Ottawa and the Kemptville area onto the Kemptville Korners build site. We also saw the return of our much beloved Women Build! Thank you to all our Habitat Build Day and Women Build teams for showing up with a smile ready to work and make a difference!

We are on track to complete Kemptville Korners in 2024. In 2023 we are looking forward to welcoming many more Habitat Build Day and Women Build groups on site. The Build Crew is focused on partnering with local manufacturers for the entire structure, including heating systems. Early delays in the summer were turned into an opportunity to prefabricate parts of the structure off site on the Kemptville Campus property.

If you’re interested in signing up for a memorable day on our Habitat build site, find out more information about pricing and scheduling for 2023:

serving more:
expanding our homeownership model

With the start of our latest build, Kemptville Korners, in partnership with Habitat Thousand Islands, we laid the groundwork to expand our homeownership model to serve more families in need of safe and affordable housing. A key way we did so was by expanding how families can access homeownership. Our previous build, Titus Landing in Wateridge Village used a Deferred Homeownership Model, meaning families are renting the units at an affordable monthly below market rent. They are then able to purchase the home in future at Fair Market Value, and the equity portion of their monthly payments will be applied to the purchase price of the home.

Our current build at Kemptville Korners is utilizing a Blended Mortgage Model whereby Habitat families purchase their home at Fair Market Value through two affordable mortgages. The first is an interest-bearing mortgage that will come from a financial institution working in partnership with Habitat. A second interest-free mortgage is provided by Habitat.

The new homeownership models we are working with provide access to homeownership with no downpayment, often one of the biggest financial barriers to owning a home and making it easier for families to save for the future, secure a credit history and move onto market homeownership should they choose.

connecting with the community

Mike McCann Charity Golf Tournament Presented by CLV Group & InterRent REIT

On September 2022, CLV Group and InterRent REIT hosted the annual Mike McCann Charity Golf Tournament in support of local charities. On a crisp, cool day at the dozens of participants, supporters and volunteers gathered at the Meadows Golf Club for a fun day in support of local charities. A big thank you to long-time supporter CLV Group and to InterRent REIT for your incredibly generous donation of $100,000 to Habitat Greater Ottawa!

"CLV Group & InterRent REIT’s core values center around community, giving back, and philanthropy. We are proud to be supporters of Habitat for Humanity for the last several years. Habitat does so much for our communities, and families in need. We are proud and humbled to help in a small way.".

First Annual Bekkers Realty Golf Tournament

Through the generosity of participants and supporters the First Annual Bekkers Realty Golf Tournament raised $2,743.07, which was generously matched by Exit Realty Corporation International giving us a grand total of $5,286.14 raised for Habitat Greater Ottawa! The day was a fantastic success and it could not have been accomplished without all of the sponsors, golfers, volunteers and the staff of Hautes Plaines Golf Course.

Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association & Reliance Home Comfort Fall Golf Tournament

We had a great time this past Tuesday at the Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association and Reliance Home Comfort Fall Golf Tournament at the eQuinelle Golf Club in Kemptville! Thank you to all golfers who came out to support including long-time Habitat for Humanity partner Euro Tile & Stone, pictured here participating in our 50/50 raffle.

Legendary Habitat Christmas Tree Sales

Thank you to Chris a.k.a. The Christmas Tree Guy for raising an amazing $6,450 for Habitat Greater Ottawa! For 23 years strong, Chris and his incredible team have supported building more safe and affordable housing for local families through its legendary Habitat Christmas Tree sale.

Kemptville Korners Community Kick Off

What a way to launch our latest build! In October 2022, as shovels hit the ground on Kemptville Korners, we invited the North Grenville community to join us for a Community Kick-Off Celebration featuring aerialists, glitter tattooers, delicious snacks and an appearance by Moana and Batman! Thank you to all the local businesses, volunteers and community members who made the event a huge success.

changing lives locally and globally

For our first in-person Gala since 2019, we could not think of a better theme than a Global Gala! Hundreds of guests enjoyed international entertainment, delicious foods and learned more about how our work in Ottawa connects with the important work of Habitat globally. For every safe and decent home we build for a local family, another home is built overseas though Habitat for Humanity’s Tithing Program. It was a memorable celebration which raised over $173,000!

Thank you to our Gala Presenting Sponsor, Laurin General Contractors, and all our Gala sponsors for making this event a night to remember. Relive the moment by viewing our photos and Gala video.

every volunteer makes a difference

This year was full of milestones with our amazing Habitat volunteers! With the return to full-time volunteering in late 2021, we also returned to regular in-person volunteer orientations in 2022 allowing more volunteers to sign-up and dedicate their time and skills to helping our organization. The new build in Kemptville opened the opportunity for a brand-new group of local volunteers to help out at our build site and at events, and we couldn’t be happier or prouder of the work they have done in the community.

We also had our first Volunteer Holiday Drop-in in December where we recognized 15 volunteers for completing over 1000 Hours of Service with Habitat Greater Ottawa! Thank you to all of our volunteers who pitched in time during 2022. From the build site to the ReStore, to committees and to the office – you help us keep moving forward!

I’ve really enjoyed my time volunteering so far. This is something I’ve never experienced before. It is great working with and getting to know the families on the build site and knowing that my work is making a difference. It has also been really nice to finally socialize in person after working from home for the last two years!

Ming, Build Volunteer

I thoroughly enjoy volunteering in the professional world, and especially when it’s for such a great cause. The results are tangible; you get to actually see the difference you’re making to the families. Witnessing the impact firsthand is something that will always give me a sense of pride.

Josh, Habitat Board of Directors

It’s been such a welcoming experience for me, I feel very included in the Restore family. That’s been my favorite part of volunteering, honestly; the people I work with have been so nice.

Bella, ReStore Volunteer

looking ahead: building for the next generation

As we look back on 30 years of building strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership it is empowering to know we’ve helped to change the lives of so many families.

With the completion of our Kemptville Korners build next spring we will have officially served our 100th family. This is a tremendous milestone and yet we realize that we cannot wait another 30 years to help 100 more families.

Housing and homeownership have drastically changed in the last 30 years. Habitat, even as an affordable housing provider, is not immune to the rising housing prices we have seen this past year. The average fair market value of a Habitat home has increased more than 29% since 2018, and nearly half of Ottawa families are paying over 30% of their income towards housing-related bills.

Our organization is looking to continue scaling up the number of homes we build and to offer more affordable housing options to families. We are diversifying the types of homes we build, moving away from single family homes and into townhomes. With our last build we began to build two, three and four bedroom stacked townhomes to accommodate a wider range of families. We are also exploring opportunities to build within the City but also in communities outside of Ottawa as we adapt to shifting housing and lifestyle needs.

While we are proud of the lives changed and communities built these last three decades, we recognize there is so much left to do. The need for more affordable housing has never been greater, and owning a home is still one of the best ways to create financial well-being for families. We need to focus on creating opportunities to make homeownership more affordable and more equitable for future generations.

We also recognize that we are still here, 30 years strong, because of our donors, volunteers and supporters who are committed to our shared vision of a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. We invite you to help us to continue to grow the number of safe and affordable homes in communities across the Greater Ottawa Area for the next 30 years and beyond!