In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron and Adam connect with Ene Underwood, CEO of Habitat for Humanity GTA. This nonprofit organization helps people in your community and worldwide build or improve a place they can call home. Join them as they discuss Habitat for Humanity’s mission and their focus on creating pathways to homeownership. Ene explains their model of zero down payment mortgages and buyback provisions, ensuring affordability and accessibility. They also explore government incentives, developer partnerships, and the need for creative solutions in the affordable homeownership market.
Here are the key topics discussed:
- Introduction to Habitat for Humanity’s mission
- Habitat for Humanity’s model of zero down payment mortgages
- Government incentives for affordable homeownership
- Addressing the high interest rate environment
- Habitat for Humanity’s partnerships with developers
- Government’s role in providing tax incentives and credits
- Importance of affordable homeownership
- Need for aggressive measures to address the housing crisis
- Government response and the conversation about expanding urban boundaries
More about our guest…
Ene Underwood’s professional purpose throughout her career has been applying business thinking to some of society’s most challenging social and economic well-being issues. Building on a career that began in the private sector with one of the world’s preeminent strategy consulting firms, Ene spent nearly two decades in leadership roles in some of Canada’s most respected hospitals.
Since 2013, Ene’s focus has been housing, leading Habitat for Humanity’s work in the GTA to leverage the power of homeownership to transform lives and build generational change. Ene has increasingly been a leading voice in broader housing policy changes to re-establish a Canada where affordable housing is available to all.
Episode Resources
- Ene Underwood on LinkedIn
- Habitat for Humanity Website
- Aaron Cameron on LinkedIn
- Adam Powadiuk on LinkedIn
- First National Website
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