Who We Are
Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce is a non-profit corporation with an Affiliate agreement with Habitat for Humanity Canada. People in our community and all over the world partner with Habitat to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. They are given the opportunity to thrive so to build a better life for themselves and their children.
Our Vision
A world where everyone has a decent place to live.
What We Do
We create opportunity for people to thrive through innovative housing solutions.
Our Core Values
Family-Centric
Whether our own or those we serve, family always comes first.
Health & Safety
The well-being of everyone in our workplaces is at the forefront of all we do. No job or time pressure is so important that it cannot be done safely.
Innovation
Our success is dependent upon new learning, improving and driving change. We are a work in progress and do not hesitate to take calculated risks.
Openness
We listen carefully to new ideas and welcome scrutiny of all we do. We are transparent.
Social Responsibility
We seek to bring benefit to our communities and to minimize as much as possible our environmental footprint with sustainable practices.
Tenacity
We persist, even in the face of relentless adversity. We believe anything is possible when we work hard and never give up.
Transformation
While our primary business is building houses, our ultimate passion is life change.
Our Story
We are proud to have built over 70 houses across Grey and Bruce since 1987
Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 in Americus, Georgia by Millard and Linda Fuller. The ongoing involvement of former United States President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn has brought widespread awareness to our organization. Habitat now works in every province and territory in Canada and in more than 70 Countries around the world.
In 1987, a group of citizens, concerned about the lack of affordable housing in Grey and Bruce counties, heard about the work of Habitat for Humanity International and decided to initiate a local Habitat chapter in Grey/Bruce. These dedicated volunteers built the first house in Owen Sound in 1988 taking out personal loans to fund the cost over 35 years. Over 70 houses have been built throughout Grey and Bruce.
How it works
Through our unique affordable homeownership program, we offer families a hand up, creating opportunity for them to thrive and build equity.
Habitat Grey Bruce partners with families who are ready for the responsibility and challenges of homeownership but do not qualify for a traditional mortgage. The selection of families is based on three criteria: demonstrated need, ability to pay a Habitat mortgage and willingness to partner.
Selected families must contribute 500 volunteer hours, and single parent families must contribute 350 hours, helping build their own home. We keep our homebuilding costs low through the support of volunteers and new donated building materials and services.
Every family is required to attend homeowner education workshops, including financial literacy, budgeting and estate planning. Since families are responsible to maintain their homes, Habitat also provides training on home maintenance.
Families purchase their home from Habitat Grey Bruce at fair market value with a no down payment, no-interest, 20-year term mortgage held by Habitat. This removes barriers to homeownership for families who do not qualify for a conventional mortgage.
Mortgage and property tax payments are calculated annually based on 25% of a family’s household income. This makes buying a Habitat-built home affordable. As families pay off their mortgage, these funds are reinvested into Habitat’s homebuilding program to provide more families the opportunity of affordable homeownership.
