Habitat for Humanity GTA opening up homeownership to individuals and couples | CBC News

Habitat for Humanity Greater Toronto Area is launching a program that will offer an affordable home ownership option to a handful of individuals and couples for the first time.

The non-profit organization, which for years focused on affordable home ownership for families, says it’s expanding its mandate given current economic conditions. 

“I think the demand is there. We all know that there’s a major affordability crisis in the GTA,” said Seema Sarda, director of family partnerships for Habitat for Humanity GTA.

“We’re heard from a lot of individuals and couples that they’re not even necessarily willing to make a decision about having children when they don’t have the stability of a place where they know they can raise a child,” said Sarda.

The new homes will be available within a new 12-storey building currently being constructed in North York, at 500 Wilson Avenue. 

One-bedroom and one-bedroom plus den sized units will be available in that housing project for individuals or couples through a new program by Habitat for Humanity called HomeStart. The units are expected to be move-in ready in late 2024.

Habitat for Humanity has a partnership with the developer of 500 Wilson Avenue, which is Collecdev. It sold Habitat 10 units and both the developer and the City of Toronto provided funding to launch the project, a spokesperson for the non-profit told CBC Toronto in an phone call.

Sarda says the hope is HomeStart will allow young people in particular to launch their lives by making home ownership possible to more people regardless of family status.

“Looking at the housing crisis… this seemed like a perfect opportunity to launch what we’ve been thinking about for a long time,” she said.

But the opportunity isn’t for everyone — the starting household income is $90,000 to qualify.

Sarda said this is because they need to ensure those moving in have the financial stability to be able to manage mortgage payments.

That’s $6,000 more than the median total household income in Toronto as of the 2021 census and about double the median household income in the city for a single person the same year, which is $45,200. But the organization says it hopes it puts home ownership within reach for some.

Sarda says Habitat for Humanity GTA it will continue to make homes available to families also, including six two-bedroom units in the same North York housing project under development. 

Habitat for Humanity homes do not require home owners to provide a traditional down payment, said Sarda. A household must qualify for a first mortgage from a traditional bank or credit union. The remainder of the cost of the home is initially taken care of by Habitat for Humanity, with the homeowner only paying Habitat for Humanity back after paying off their traditional mortgage, she says.

Calling a place home ‘a dream’ for couple

Donna Benosa, a healthcare worker at a Toronto hospital, and her partner Bradley Park live in a Habitat for Humanity unit through a separate home ownership opportunity the non-profit recently made available only to those who work for Unity Health, a hospital network in the city.

The couple, who are in their twenties, moved into their unit near High Park earlier this year. CBC Toronto connected with them through Habitat for Humanity. 

“Bradley, and I didn’t even think of this as a possibility in our near future,” said Benosa. “Calling a place home is a dream.”

The home not requiring a traditional down payment allowed Benosa to enter an accelerated nursing program while working part-time, which she hopes will help her move from a clerical to a nursing career at the hospital, she told CBC Toronto.

Park said acquiring a home under these financial conditions opened personal and professional opportunities for both he and his partner.

“We’re able to more seriously consider and assess our financial situation to be able to provide for a child or two,” he said. 

Habitat for Humanity looking for future homeowners 

Habitat for Humanity GTA is encouraging households with an income between $90,000 and $130,000 to apply for the new opportunity in North York.

There are only four units available. Sarda told CBC Toronto those who get in an application that meets all requirements the soonest will get the units. 

“We want people who are struggling,” said Sarda. “They want to be homeowners… to get into the market, but they need that hand up to be able to get there.”