Home for the Holidays

Home for the Holidays

As we approach the holiday season, we start to think about who we will be celebrating with, but we often forget to take a moment to think about where we’ll be spending our holidays.

Because whether you celebrate the holidays at your aunt’s apartment downtown, at your brother’s townhouse in the city or even maybe at your own house in the suburbs, every holiday celebration starts at home.

That’s why Habitat Hamilton is excited to announce that two local families will become new home partners, just in time for the holiday season. Their homes are semi-detached, located in Hamilton’s downtown core, in close proximity to public transit and amenities. Both homes have been built to suit the needs of each home partner family, with enough space for kids to have their own bedrooms, as well as backyards for room to play outdoors.

It’s been dubbed the Legacy Build thanks to Habitat Hamilton’s title supporter, the Hamilton-Halton Construction Association (HHCA). HHCA’s commitment to raise $200,000 is the association’s way of giving back to celebrate its centennial this past year.

The Legacy Build is outfitted with an array of sustainability features, using 35 percent less energy than a typical new build, and emitting almost 25 percent less greenhouse gas. It’s also built to an accessibility-ready standard, allowing for accessible-friendly features to be installed, at a later date, without the need to undergo major renovations to the home.

Habitat Hamilton’s home builds improve overall health of home partners, strengthen childhood development and increase its beneficiaries’ abilities to make future choices that benefit their families.

An external study, completed by the Boston Consulting Group, found that affordable housing also leads to stronger communities. In fact, for every dollar invested into Habitat for Humanity, four dollars of societal benefits are created through decreased government spending, increased tax revenue, improved educational opportunities for children, and other factors.

That’s why we’re so thankful for each and every one of our supporters. Their generous gifts not only helped us build strength and stability through shelter, but also enabled us to provide a strong social return on investment for our local communities.

Many thanks to all of our major Legacy Build supporters ($5,000+), who helped two new home partners secure affordable housing, just in time for the holiday season.

Alberici Constructors Ltd., Alectra Cares (Alectra Utilities), Aon Canada, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Burlington Paving, Canadian Piping Trades LOCAL 67, Charles Linsey & Associates, City of Hamilton, Cogeco Connexion, Diocese of Hamilton, Dulux Paints, DuPont, Enviroshake, Falcon Crane, Gen-Pro, Grant Somerville Design, Hamilton-Halton Construction Association, Hanson Ready Mix, Historia Building Restoration, IBI Group, John Vanderwoude Sod Farms Ltd., Joseph Haulage, Lancaster Group, L.J. Barton Mechanical Inc., Lowe’s, Marini & Sons Construction Ltd., McMaster Innovation Park, Miranda Construction, Robb’s Roofing, Royal Bank of Canada, Sagen, Skeates Contracting, Strassburger Windows & Doors, The Hamilton ReStore, The Willow Woodshop, Walters Group, and Whirlpool.

To learn more about making a donation during the holidays, please visit: www.habitathamilton.ca/holidays.

A backsplit home with an empty driveway and freshly cut lawnA photo of a semi-detached Habitat Hamilton home, nearing completion