Founded in 1986, Habitat for Humanity Canada (Habitat Canada) helps low-income families access affordable housing in Canada and developing countries. Habitat Canada is a member of Habitat for Humanity International and aligns with the international vision statement: a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Its mission is to bring communities together to help families build strength, stability and independence through affordable homeownership. With a reported one in eight Canadian families unable to afford decent housing, Habitat Canada promotes homeownership to break the poverty cycle. It operates through 54 local affiliates across Canada, with headquarters in Toronto.  

Local Habitat affiliates build Habitat homes. Habitat Canada provides financial and training support to these affiliates, but it does not have a direct role in the homeownership application process and it does not build homes. The charity distributed $6.5 million in monetary support to local affiliates and an additional $7.7 million in donated materials to build Habitat homes in F2018. Ci reported all cash transfers to affiliates as program costs in its financial analysis, although the charity typically reports these costs as grants in its T3010 CRA filing.

Habitat for Humanity Canada reports that 238 new families moved into homes in F2018; 64% came from rental homes, 23% lived in subsidized housing, and 13% came from other arrangements. Habitat for Humanity’s goal for 2020 is to help 375 Canadian families per year. The average cost per new Habitat family incurred by Habitat Canada in F2018 (based on direct affiliate support costs) was $52,483. An additional 2,250 families continued living in Habitat homes that they moved into in prior years. Eligible homeowners are low-income families in need of better housing that can commit 500 hours to help build a Habitat home or volunteer at a Habitat ReStore. Homes are sold to families at market value and made affordable through interest-free mortgage payments capped at 30% of total annual household income, which is assessed and adjusted for every year. 

Besides support to local affiliates, the remaining $2.8 million in Canadian program spending includes $1.3 million in marketing and communication costs, $1.1 million in ReStore and product development costs, and $373k on government relations and Indigenous housing.

Habitat for Humanity Canada also contributes to international homebuilding projects in developing countries. In F2018, it spent $4.9 million on international programs and Habitat for Humanity Canada Global Village (Habitat Global Village) costs. Habitat Global Village is a volunteer program for Canadians who want to help build Habitat homes in developing countries. The charity reports that it helped 1,800 people in Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Nepal, Vietnam, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic in F2018 through home construction/renovations, latrine installations for improved water access, and/or construction, maintenance and property rights training. Country-specific results for F2018 include: 21 homes built in Vietnam, and 692 homes built and 373 homes in progress in Nepal.

Habitat for Humanity Canada is a large charity that collected $12.7m in cash donations in F2018. This includes $3.5m in Global Village and gift-in-kind airfare – the charity's audited financials do not report cash donations separately from airfare. Habitat Canada received an additional $2.3m in materials for homebuilding projects and $5.5m in ReStore materials donations. Administrative costs are 3% of revenues and fundraising costs are 18% of cash donations. Per dollar donated to the charity,  78 cents go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

When non-cash donations for homebuilding projects are included in total donations, Habitat Canada’s fundraising ratio drops to 15% (13% in F2017, 12% in F2016). 

Habitat Canada’s F2018 audited financial statements restated multiple F2017 revenue and expense items following a change in accounting policy. The restatements resulted in a $1.3m increase in total revenue and $317k increase in total expenses. F2016 figures may not be comparable to F2017 and F2018. 

Habitat for Humanity Canada’s funding reserves of $6.1m can cover annual program costs for five months at the F2018 level.  

Habitat Canada reports using external fundraisers in its most recent F2017 T3010 CRA filing. It paid external fundraisers $48k to raise $81k, meaning that it cost Habitat Canada 59 cents for every dollar raised by external fundraisers.  

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Habitat for Humanity Canada for review. Comments and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on September 9, 2019 by Katie Khodawandi.