Habitat for Humanity Canada

About Habitat for Humanity Canada:

Founded in 1986, Habitat for Humanity Canada (HFH Canada) helps low-income families access affordable housing in Canada and globally. The charity’s mission is to bring communities together to help families build strength, stability and independence through affordable homeownership. Its vision is a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. HFH Canada promotes home ownership as a means to break the cycle of poverty.  It operates through 56 independently registered affiliate chapters that build homes with volunteer labor, donated materials and no-interest mortgages tailored to each partner family’s income level. HFH Canada reports spending $17.6m in affiliate support and affiliate fund transfers in F2016, and $4.8m in fund transfers for international programs. The remaining $803k in F2016 program costs reflects spending on HFH Canada's Global Village volunteer program.

In Canada, the charity’s Habitat Builds program built homes for 273 families in 2016: 100 in Ontario, 90 in Alberta, 21 in Saskatchewan, 18 in Manitoba, 14 in British Columbia, 13 in New Brunswick, six in Nova Scotia, four in Quebec, four in Prince Edward Island, two in Yukon and one in Newfoundland. Home building increased by 20% from the year before. A 2015 social return on investment study conducted by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that every $1 spent on the charity's home-ownership program produces $4 in social benefits. BCG estimates that every Habitat home generates an average of $175k in social benefits for every family housed in Canada.

Habitat for Humanity Canada also runs an Indigenous Housing program in Canada that helped 34 Indigenous families access affordable housing and receive financial literacy training in 2016. Of the 34 new Habitat homes completed during the year, 12 are in urban areas and 22 are on Traditional Territories. HFH Canada also reports completing 10 home renovations for water accessibility and improved sanitation in remote Northern Ontario First Nations. Besides training families in financial literacy, the charity also trained 100 indigenous youth and women in trade skills and construction work, and gave 20 Correctional Service Canada inmates hands-on construction training.

Internationally, HFH Canada supports projects in Ethiopia, Cambodia, El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti. Projects include homebuilding, home repairs and renovations, community infrastructure improvements and skills training programs. The charity built 41 new homes in partnership with families through four projects in Ethiopia, Cambodia, El Salvador and Honduras, and completed 22 home renovations in Honduras. HFH Canada also reports building 77 water and sanitation solutions in 2016 – 72 household toilets for families in Honduras and El Salvador, and five communal washrooms for 20 families in Ethiopia. Through these activities, HFH Canada helped 1,404 families and reached 5,168 people directly. The charity also reports training 2,074 people and giving 25,197 people microloans for homes.

Financial Review:

Ci consolidated Habitat for Humanity Canada with its associated Foundation in the following financial analysis. Ci used the Foundation’s T3010 CRA filing for financial information. At the time of this profile update, the most recent CRA filing year for the Foundation was 2015, so F2016 revenue and expense figures represent those of the operating charity only. F2016 funding reserves include the Foundation's F2015 liquid assets. 

Habitat for Humanity Canada is a big-cap charity with total cash donations of $13.2m in F2016. Administrative costs are 3% of revenues and fundraising costs are 24% of donations. Per dollar donated to the charity, $0.73 goes towards its programs, which falls within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. Ci notes that included in F2015 international program costs is a transfer of $2.7m to Habitat for Humanity International.

HFH Canada holds funding reserves of $92.9m, of which $2.6m are donor-endowed. Excluding endowed funds, the charity’s reserves can cover annual program costs for 3.9 years. In F2016 total funding reserves, Ci included the Foundation’s F2015 liquid assets as reported in its T3010 CRA filing to better represent program cost coverage. 

HFH Canada reports using external fundraisers as part of its fundraising activities. In F2016, HFH Canada reports external fundraising costs of $57k. External fundraisers raised $99k (less than 1% of total donations) on behalf of the charity. This produces an external fundraising cost ratio of 58%. 

This charity report is an update that is currently being reviewed by Habitat for Humanity Canada. Comments and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 19, 2017 by Katie Khodawandi.