When two organizations devoted to bettering housing affordability be part of forces, the impression on Canadian communities is important.
Mortgage Professionals Canada (MPC) just lately entered a partnership with Habitat for Humanity Canada, bringing collectively two nationwide organizations with complementary values to work in the direction of a typical trigger — and giving mortgage brokers a extremely seen approach to increase 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 a complete 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 associate 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 based on sure standards that matched MPC’s mission, values and imaginative and prescient, and Habitat was one which was instructed by a board member,” he says. “We additionally needed a company that was current in each single province, so the nationwide scope of Habitat tied-in effectively with the nationwide scope of MPC.”
Stencer explains that as every acquired to know the group, they continued to search out extra parallels. For instance, each are centered on the problem of inexpensive house possession in Canada, are volunteer led, have a monitor document 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 provide again to their neighborhood, and it is a approach to give again in a really seen means,” he provides. “We’re choosing up hammers, we’re choosing 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 robust title recognition and a robust monitor 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; all people works laborious, however in addition they play laborious.”
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 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 notably deal with people and households who face vital limitations to with the ability to give you a down cost.”
Barata provides that whereas public sector housing initiatives for low-income Canadians emphasize inexpensive 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 laborious to do, but it surely’s much less of a heavy carry,” he says. “That left a spot that now we’ve got to make up, and each Mortgage Professionals Canada and Habitat perceive that Canadians wish to preserve the dream of homeownership alive.”
Barata explains that whereas rising inexpensive leases helps handle the instant problem, Habitat is working in the direction of longer-term options for Canadian households in want.
The group helps Canadians obtain homeownership by discovering methods to scale back buying prices, even eliminating down cost necessities altogether, by means of a wide range of techniques.
“We work very laborious to search out free or actually inexpensive land to have decrease or no prices when it comes to growth fees,” Barata says. “We additionally take a look at how we are able to preserve constructing prices low by, for instance, bringing in volunteers and fundraising.”
Via these efforts, Habitat provides inexpensive properties to Canadians who would in any other case be priced out of possession.
The impression of homeownership
And these aren’t simply anecdotal advantages. In a 2025 financial and social impression 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 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 inexpensive housing actions generated $311 million in financial exercise and practically $40 million in tax revenues, whereas delivering lasting social good points.
“While you take a look at the advantages to native economies, each on account 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 necessary for the nation and the sort 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 should additionally assist Habitat Canada rally help for the work it does in communities throughout the nation, based on its growth officer Shahla Habib.
“The final consciousness piece has been such an enormous element of the partnership up to now,” 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 important urge for food to search out out what extra they will do to assist Habitat of their local people.”
Habib provides that she was shocked and delighted by how shortly and enthusiastically the mortgage business lined as much as help the group and its mission to convey extra inexpensive housing to Canada.
“They honestly perceive firsthand how transformative homeownership is and are seeing a number of the challenges and limitations that households are up towards,” she says. “They’ve actually been a mannequin company associate to Habitat, and we’re actually appreciative of all they’ve executed up to now.”
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Final modified: August 20, 2025
