Habitat for Humanity GTA
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✔+
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.
A
RESULTS REPORTING
Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.
Low
DEMONSTRATED IMPACT
The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.
NEED FOR FUNDING
Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.
65%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 65 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Habitat for Humanity GTA:
Habitat for Humanity Greater Toronto Area (Habitat GTA) was created in 2014 when three Habitat affiliates merged: Habitat Toronto (founded in 1988), Habitat Brampton-Caledon, and Habitat York Region. In March 2020, another affiliate, Habitat Durham, amalgamated with Habitat GTA as well. Habitat GTA is one of 1,400 Habitat for Humanity affiliates globally that work toward a world where everyone has a safe and stable place to live. Habitat was founded in 1976 in Georgia, USA and has since spread to more than 70 countries. Habitat for Humanity GTA’s main program is homeownership, on which it spent $11.6m in F2020.
Habitat GTA’s homeownership program provides working low-income families with the opportunity to purchase an affordable home, typically with no down payment required. The charity offers fixed, 20-year mortgages with zero interest and payments capped at 30% of annual household income. After it receives mortgage payments, Habitat GTA reinvests the money into building more houses. To become eligible to buy a house, families must meet Habitat for Humanity’s low-income criteria and contribute 500 hours of “sweat equity” to help build Habitat homes or volunteer at ReStores.
In F2020, Habitat GTA moved 22 new families into homes in Toronto’s Liberty Village (down from 30 families in F2019). During the year, Habitat GTA helped to build four new homes in CentreTowne, a 24-home community in Oshawa. Habitat GTA also runs 12 home improvement stores across the GTA called ReStores, including a new ReStore opened in Etobicoke in F2020. ReStores sell new and used home furnishings, appliances, and renovation materials at a reduced price. In response to the covid-19 pandemic, Habitat GTA worked to transition six of its ReStores online.
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Results and Impact
In August 2020, Habitat for Humanity GTA published a report of survey results from 15 families before and after moving into Habitat homes. It found that 82% of families reported satisfactory air quality and 80% reported no insect or rodent infestations one year after moving into their new homes. This compares to 40% and 20% of families, respectively, in their initial homes.
Habitat for Humanity Canada states that every dollar donated to its Canadian building operations produces $4 of social value, as reported in a 2015 impact analysis by Boston Consulting Group. The evaluation found that the estimated value to society that Habitat for Humanity generates per family is around $175,000. In addition to the social return on investment, families reported higher levels of well-being and improved social engagement.
While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Habitat for Humanity GTA’s results and impact.
Charity Intelligence has given Habitat for Humanity GTA a Low impact rating for demonstrated impact per dollar.
Impact Rating: Low
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Finances
Habitat for Humanity GTA received $3.9m in cash donations and $6.0m in donated building materials, land, fees, and services in F2020. It also received $4.0m in mortgage payments (24% of revenues) and $2.7m in government funding (16% of revenues). Administrative costs are 9% of revenues (less investment income) and fundraising costs are 26% of cash donations. This results in total overhead spending of 35%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 65 cents go to the cause. This is just within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. Habitat GTA was previously outside of the reasonable range. However, its fundraising ratio fell in F2020 due to a 38% decrease in fundraising costs.
Habitat GTA’s funding reserves are shown as negative since its interest-bearing debts of ($24.4m) exceed its liquid assets of $4.2m. This is common for Habitat for Humanity chapters across Canada, which hold mortgages for first-time homeowners. Excluding interest-bearing debts, Habitat GTA’s funding reserves can cover 36% or just over four months of annual program costs.
Charity Intelligence has sent this update to Habitat for Humanity GTA for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated on July 9, 2021 by Eric Zhao.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending December
|
2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 8.6% | 10.7% | 12.6% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 26.2% | 41.2% | 38.1% |
| Total overhead spending | 34.8% | 51.8% | 50.6% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | (174.6%) | (154.0%) | (153.1%) |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $000s |
2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 3,885 | 3,975 | 4,599 |
| Goods in kind | 6,026 | 918 | 874 |
| Government funding | 2,693 | 25 | 270 |
| Fees for service | 4,001 | 5,980 | 3,813 |
| Business activities (net) | 174 | 2,264 | 1,729 |
| Investment income | 50 | 126 | 45 |
| Total revenues | 16,829 | 13,288 | 11,329 |
| Program costs | 11,613 | 13,152 | 10,640 |
| Administrative costs | 1,437 | 1,407 | 1,416 |
| Fundraising costs | 1,017 | 1,636 | 1,751 |
| Total spending | 14,068 | 16,195 | 13,807 |
| Cash flow from operations | 2,761 | (2,907) | (2,478) |
| Capital spending | 108 | 73 | 234 |
| Funding reserves | (20,275) | (20,260) | (16,288) |
Note: To better reflect Habitat for Humanity GTA’s homeownership operations, Ci included mortgage payments received and core construction costs in this analysis. Ci classified mortgage payments received as fees for service, affecting revenues by $4.0m in F2020, $6.0m in F2019, and $3.8m in F2018. Ci classified home and project development costs as program costs, affecting expenses by $7.9m in F2020, $9.5m in F2019, and $7.1m in F2018. Ci reported ReStore revenues net of cash expenses (excluding amortization and losses on disposal) in business activities. This affected revenues and expenses ($6.2m) in F2020, ($5.6m) in F2019, and ($5.5m) in F2018. In F2020, Habitat for Humanity GTA received covid-19 emergency funding from the federal government, which it included in both ReStore revenues and investment income. Ci reported all government funding together, removing the amounts reported in business activities and investment income. Ci included donated land as goods in kind, affecting revenues by $5.9m in F2020, $nil in F2019, and $261k in F2018. To report on a cash basis, Ci used the charity’s financial notes to exclude amortization and losses on disposal from expenses.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
1 |
$160k - $200k |
2 |
$120k - $160k |
3 |
$80k - $120k |
4 |
$40k - $80k |
0 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2020
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
The following comments were added to a previous profile update. New comments may be forthcoming.
The chasm between incomes and housing prices in the GTA has driven a situation where the need for affordable housing has never been greater for working, lower-income families in the regions where we build. In the last five years, only 2% of homes built or under development are affordable. A 2019 RBC study described the situation as drastic and reported that only 20% of GTA households can afford a home in the area.
Against this challenge, our mission remains the same, and philanthropic donations remain critical to Habitat for Humanity GTA’s work to build more decent, affordable homes and deliver affordable homeownership to working, lower-income families. Our donors and supporters are confident of our proven and enduring model for three specific reasons:
1. Net profits from our ReStore social enterprise directly fund our overhead costs for administration and fundraising. In this way we are able to maximize the impact of every contribution, cash and non-cash. In calculating all contributions, and applying our ReStore profits against our expenses, Habitat for Humanity GTA’s “cents to cause” in 2018 is a healthy 74.5%.
2. Our Mortgage Model ensures that funds are continuously reinvested to enable us to build more homes for more GTA families.
3. The number of homes we are building is growing year over year, with our largest build ever – 50 homes at Pinery Trail in Scarborough (Toronto) – to be completed before year end 2019.
Habitat for Humanity GTA continues to be nimble and innovative as we develop strategies to build more homes, house more families, and strengthen more communities. We are only able to do this through the generous cash and gifts-in-kind donations from individuals and corporations across the GTA – your support is the catalyst for building these homes and helping our communities remain strong, vibrant and inclusive.
*Sources: Boston Consulting Group, Transforming Lives: The Social Return of Habitat's Work in Canada, 2015
Charity Contact
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 416-755-7353