Who We Are

Our Vision

A world where everyone has a decent place to live.

Our Mission

We create opportunities for people to thrive through innovative housing solutions.

Our Core Values

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.

Openness

We listen carefully to new ideas and welcome scrutiny of all we do. We are transparent.

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.

Social Responsibility

We seek to bring benefit to our communities and to minimize as much as possible our environmental footprint with sustainable practices.

Family-Centric

Whether our own or those we serve, family always comes first.

Habitat for Humanity

Grey Bruce is a non-profit housing organization with a global vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. 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 and are given the opportunity to thrive so to build a better life for themselves and their children.

Our Story

Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 in Americus, Georgia by Millard and Linda Fuller who developed the concept of “partnership housing.” The ongoing involvement of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn and the awareness they raised, Habitat now works in every province and territory in Canada and in more than 70 countries. To date more than 35 million people have been helped to achieve strength, stability and independence through safe, decent and affordable housing.

Why What We Do Matters

Every day, more and more families find themselves in a struggle to keep a decent roof over their heads. Caught in punishing cycles of unpredictable rent increases, overcrowded conditions, or living in unsafe neighbourhoods, these families live with a constant burden of uncertainty, stress and fear.

Affordable homeownership plays a critical role in helping families to create a new cycle, one filled with possibilities and progress. Affordable homeownership frees families and fosters the skills and confidence they need to invest in themselves and their communities. The outcomes can be long-lasting and life-changing.

With a hand up, Habitat homeowners are able to achieve the strength and stability they need to build better lives for themselves and their children. Families are empowered to overcome the barriers that so often stand between them and better, healthier, more financially stable lives.

How It All Works

Through our unique affordable homeownership program, we offer families a hand up, creating opportunity for them to thrive and build equity.

Step 1

Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce partners with families who are ready for the responsibility and challenges of homeownership, but would not qualify for a traditional mortgage. The selection of families is based on three principles: need, ability to pay, and willingness to partner.

Step 2

As part of their partnership with Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce, families contribute 500 hours of “sweat equity” (350 hours for single parent families) helping build their home, other homes or helping in our ReStores. We keep our homebuilding costs low through volunteer labour and, as much as possible, donated or reduced-cost building materials and services.

Step 3

Every family is required to attend homeowner education workshops including financial literacy, budgeting and estate planning. Since families are responsible to maintain their home, Habitat also provides training on home maintenance.

Step 4

Families purchase their home from Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce at fair market value with a no down payment, no interest 20 year mortgage. Since families wouldn’t qualify for a conventional mortgage, we provide a Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce mortgage that removes the barriers to homeownership.

Step 5

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 a family starts to pay off their mortgage, Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce puts those dollars to work helping build another home for another family in need of affordable housing.