Our History

The idea that became Habitat for Humanity first started at Koinonia Farm, a community farm outside of Americus, Georgia, founded by farmer and biblical scholar Clarence Jordan.  On the farm, Jordan and Habitat’s eventual founders, Millard and Linda Fuller, developed the concept of “partnership housing.” It would involve those in need of adequate shelter working side-by-side with volunteers to build decent, affordable houses at no profit. The new homeowners’ house payments would be combined with no-interest loans provided by supporters to create a revolving ”Fund for Humanity”, which would then be used to build more homes.

The Habitat movement first spread to Canada in 1985, when the country’s first Habitat home was built in Winkler, Manitoba. Just two years later, Winnipeg became the first local Habitat in Canada. Today, Habitat for Humanity Canada is a leading national nonprofit, with local Habitats working in every province and territory across the country. 

Local Habitats in every province and territory across Canada help build and provide Habitat partner families with safe, decent and affordable homes, from single-family houses built by volunteers to multi-unit developments built by private sector developers. We don’t give away free homes – the people who partner with us pay an affordable mortgage geared to their income and volunteer 500 hours with us. Our model of affordable housing bridges a gap for working families, by providing them with a pathway to homeownership.

Habitat for Humanity International establishes policy for Habitat for Humanity operations and programs, working in local communities across the USA and in more than 70 countries. Habitat for Humanity Canada supports 45 local Habitats across Canada, ensures compliance with HFHI, and also fundraises, builds national partnerships, manages the national brand, and supports Canadian ReStore operations. Local Habitats across Canada are individually incorporated non-profit entities that are responsible for the operations of Habitat for Humanity within their geographical boundaries.

Habitat HMD was founded in 1999 in the City of Burlington by a group of concerned citizens. Since then, we have expanded our boundaries to include the Region of Halton (2002), the City of Mississauga (2015) and Dufferin County (2021). We have grown from a grassroots organization wholly run by volunteers to a large nonprofit managed by a dedicated staff team of 55 FTE staff and 150 active volunteers, with an annual operating budget of approximately $7M and 4 ReStores. 

Since our inception, we’ve created 83 affordable housing units (68 family units plus 15 tiny homes for Indigenous communities), and we have an ambitious strategic plan to transform more lives by creating at least 130 new units between 2022 and 2032.