When two organizations dedicated to improving housing affordability join forces, the impact on Canadian communities is significant.
Mortgage Professionals Canada (MPC) recently entered a partnership with Habitat for Humanity Canada, bringing together two national organizations with complementary values to work towards a common cause — and giving mortgage brokers a highly visible way to raise their profile in the communities they serve.
“The obvious [alignment] is the housing aspect, but what was really compelling for our committee and the board as a whole is the sense of community,” says incoming MPC board chair Maxime Stencer. “Habitat really exemplifies that, with people coming together from all different walks of life with a common goal of helping the community.”
As part of the new partnership, MPC has committed to a fundraising goal of $100,000 over two years and organizing volunteers to assist with the construction of 10 homes across Canada.
Searching for a cause brokers can get behind
Stencer says the search for a non-profit partner began last year following a reorganization effort that brought the organization’s previously external charitable foundation in-house.
“We asked our board members to come to us with ideas for charity partners according to certain criteria that matched MPC’s mission, values and vision, and Habitat was one that was suggested by a board member,” he says. “We also wanted an organization that was present in every single province, so the national scope of Habitat tied-in well with the national scope of MPC.”
Stencer explains that as each got to know the organization, they continued to find more parallels. For example, both are focused on the challenge of affordable home ownership in Canada, are volunteer led, have a track record of celebrating the contributions of female members, and lean on friendly competition to get the most out of participants.
“It’s really important for brokers across Canada to give back to their community, and this is a way to give back in a very visible way,” he adds. “We’re picking up hammers, we’re picking up saws, and the community will see mortgage brokers actually giving back; not just with their wallets, but with their time and effort.”
The MPC board was seeking an organization that had strong name recognition and a strong track record in Canada.
“It’s also fun,” Stencer adds. “It brings people together, they have fun doing it, and they’re proud of the work they’re putting in. That’s what the mortgage industry is all about; everybody works hard, but they also play hard.”
Two organizations, one mission
Though many associate Habitat for Humanity with its homebuilding projects in developing nations the global organization’s Canadian arm is focused on supporting those in need here at home.
“Habitat Canada is all about providing opportunities for Canadians to purchase their first home, to build equity and to build a brighter future,” says Pedro Barata, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada. “We particularly focus on individuals and families who face significant barriers to being able to come up with a down payment.”
Barata adds that while public sector housing projects for low-income Canadians emphasize affordable rental stock, Habitat for Humanity is focused on tackling the housing crisis by enhancing ownership opportunities.
“It’s understandable for governments to put their emphasis on purpose-built rental, because it’s still hard to do, but it’s less of a heavy lift,” he says. “That left a gap that now we have to make up, and both Mortgage Professionals Canada and Habitat understand that Canadians want to keep the dream of homeownership alive.”
Barata explains that while increasing affordable rentals helps address the immediate challenge, Habitat is working towards longer-term solutions for Canadian families in need.
The organization helps Canadians achieve homeownership by finding ways to reduce purchasing costs, even eliminating down payment requirements altogether, through a variety of tactics.
“We work very hard to find free or really affordable land to have lower or no costs in terms of development charges,” Barata says. “We also look at how we can keep building costs low by, for example, bringing in volunteers and fundraising.”
Through those efforts, Habitat offers affordable homes to Canadians who would otherwise be priced out of ownership.
The impact of homeownership
And these aren’t just anecdotal benefits. In a 2025 economic and social impact study with Deloitte Canada, Habitat homeowners reported a 79% boost in mental health and a 73% improvement in physical health. and a 44% improvement in employment. Half also noted improved school performance for their children and greater community engagement; 51% said they felt more financially secure.
On average, families who moved into Habitat homes earned 28% more than they would have as renters—adding an estimated $168 million to Canada’s GDP between 2006 and 2023. Between 2019 and 2023 alone, Habitat’s affordable housing activities generated $311 million in economic activity and nearly $40 million in tax revenues, while delivering lasting social gains.
“When you look at the benefits to local economies, both as a result of building homes and by raising earning potential, those are really good for the Canadian economy,” Barata says. “It isn’t just nice that you’re doing this for people; it’s really important for the country and the kind of communities we want to build in Canada.”
Building awareness together
The MPC partnership will result in new homes for Canadians in need, but it will also help Habitat Canada rally support for the work it does in communities across the country, according to its development officer Shahla Habib.
“The general awareness piece has been such a massive component of the partnership so far,” she says, adding that Habitat has been invited to speak about its efforts and mission at regional MPC events from coast-to-coast. “The feedback that we’ve gotten from members has been quite positive. There’s a great appetite to find out what more they can do to help Habitat in their local community.”
Habib adds that she was surprised and delighted by how quickly and enthusiastically the mortgage industry lined up to support the organization and its mission to bring more affordable housing to Canada.
“They truly understand firsthand how transformative homeownership is and are seeing some of the challenges and barriers that families are up against,” she says. “They’ve really been a model corporate partner to Habitat, and we’re really appreciative of all they’ve done so far.”
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Last modified: August 20, 2025
