York Region Habitat for Humanity merges with Toronto, Brampton

Georgina Advocate
February 20, 2014
By Heidi Riedner

The dream of home ownership will become a reality for more people with the amalgamation of York Region’s Habitat for Humanity with sister organizations in Toronto and Brampton.

Habitat for Humanity executive director, Tom Vegh, says by cutting administrative costs and pooling rather than competing for resources, a combined Habitat for Humanity GTA can get more hard working people in homes of their own.

That’s good news amidst rising home prices and social housing lists, as well as rental vacancy rates hovering around 1.2 per cent in the region.

After crunching the numbers for the past year, the boards of Habitat Brampton Caledon, Toronto and York Region voted in favour to amalgamate into a single new affiliate this month.

Taking effect in April, the move will deliver at least 100 homes across their combined region on a sustainable, ongoing basis.

That represents a sizeable increase from the build rate of the last several years, which ranged from 15 to 40 homes per year across the three affiliates.

Habitat York Region has built two homes on average per year since its inception in 2001 — the majority of which are in Georgina, including the most recent build on Hawkins Street in Sutton and its current home under construction on Orchard Beach Drive in Keswick.

By merging with its two affiliate organizations, it will allow York to build up to 25 affordable homes per year during the next five-year span, said Mr. Vegh.

“That is a sizeable increase and it will unite a common vision of a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live.”

Amalgamation will provide immediate access to expertise across all areas and access to capital resources to develop and invest in a land bank to move quickly to break ground on additional builds, he added.

Various municipal, corporate and volunteer partners are just as happy to cross over Steeles Avenue to help and contribute in Vaughan as they are in Georgina, Mr. Vegh said.

A key component, however, is maintaining a strong York Region identity for the organization.

Part of that mandate includes the potential for a second office in York Region that will ensure a strong presence for York that works closely with the other organizations, without “stepping on our partners’ toes”, said Mr. Vegh.

David Sauve, who is the current chair of Habitat York Region’s board of directors, will be chair of the newly-amalgamated affiliate and lead a board made up of five directors from each of the three affiliates.

CEO Ene Underwood, hired less than a year ago, will continue in that role.

A newly created Habitat for Humanity GTA is expected to take effect April 1.

The amalgamation will propel our efforts to deliver more homes to York Region families, said Mr. Vegh.