Habitat’s program is expected to lift Canada’s GDP by an additional $35 million each year

A 2025 study released by Habitat for Humanity and Deloitte Canada reveals the social and economic impacts of our affordable homeownership program and its contribution to alleviating Canada’s housing and productivity crises. The results are clear: Habitat homeowners gain more than an affordable home. They drive social and financial gains that strengthen their lives, put their children on a path to success, build inclusive communities, and bolster Canada’s economy.

The research lays out how the stability of affordable homeownership provides families with the means and opportunity to improve their health, education, employment, and community involvement. With improved health and higher education, homeowners are able to secure better-paying jobs and participate more fully in the workforce, delivering economic outcomes that are significantly higher than if they had continued renting. Higher incomes provide homeowners and their children with greater financial security and a better quality of life.

As people improve their employment situation, either by working more hours or attaining jobs better aligned with their skill set, Canada’s economy benefits through an increase in labour supply and higher productivity. In addition, by removing the intractable barrier of a down payment and providing mortgage support to own a home, Habitat’s program levels the playing field for families living with a low-to-moderate income, giving them an opportunity to build housing equity and to transfer that equity to future generations.

Habitat’s investments in labour and materials to build and rehabilitate homes also contribute to Canada’s GDP, as payments to workers and suppliers is then spent onwards in local economies across the country.

In the research, 80% of homeowners say that without their partnership with Habitat for Humanity, they would not have been able to own their own home. For families who experience multiple barriers to homeownership, Habitat is bringing homeownership within reach. For all Canadians, Habitat’s program is helping to build a healthier, more equal, more inclusive, and more prosperous Canada for generations to come.