Habitat for Humanity Greater Toronto Area partners with Lowe’s Canada to kick off International Women Build Week, a Habitat for Humanity international annual initiative powered by Lowe’s Companies. From March 8 to 15, the event starting on International Women’s Day will draw attention to the global need for women’s access to safe and affordable housing. This year, the organizations in the United States, Canada, and India are increasing efforts by supporting over 300 Women Build projects and women-led households, which will help women around the globe to build or improve decent, affordable places to call home.

“Today as we recognize International Women’s Day, we salute in particular single mothers,” said Ene Underwood, CEO, Habitat for Humanity GTA. “The reality is women-led households are disproportionately represented in families in need of safe and affordable housing in our communities. Single mothers are up against more, and being a visible minority, an immigrant, or Indigenous, along with being a woman, can add to the challenge of being able to provide for one’s family in the GTA which is now the 5th least affordable city in the world.”   

With the 2021 edition, Lowe’s Canada expanded its partnership to support four additional local Habitats in Canada, as the need for affordable housing sharpens in many parts of the country due to economic strains brought by the pandemic. Worldwide, Lowe’s Companies has increased its donation to nearly $2.7 million to widen its support for Habitat’s international projects that help women and their families.

“Supporting the communities that welcome our stores, our associates, and our customers is part of our fundamentals at Lowe’s Canada,” explained Jean-Sébastien Lamoureux, Senior Vice-President, Public Affairs, Asset Protection and Sustainable Development at Lowe’s Canada. “As many things we assumed were stable became fragile in the last year, we are pleased to see that our ongoing partnership with Habitat has helped provide women-led families in our communities with a foundation on which to build a sturdy home.”

Women experience multiple pressures as they struggle to find or retain safe shelter during the pandemic, according to a report by the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network (WNHHN) and research from the Community University Policy Alliance on Women’s Complex Homelessness at McMaster University. Women are disproportionately impacted by a loss of income due to COVID-19, which puts women-led households at a greater risk of losing their housing. As a result, many more of them are forced to choose between either rent or mortgage, or other essential bills, such as utilities or health care.

Through this year’s International Women Build Week, Habitat GTA and Lowe’s Canada also wish to amplify the positive effects of housing stability for women and their families, especially during the pandemic. “Being able to achieve the milestone of homeownership has been a dream come true,” said Elena, a single-mother, Habitat homeowner in the GTA. “I was so proud to tell my own mother about this accomplishment, and I’m now on a path to building a brighter future for myself and my daughter.”

Lowe’s Canada and its Lowe’s, RONA, and Reno-Depot banners have been partnering with local Habitat affiliates since 2009. Through the Lowe’s Canada Heroes campaign, International Women Build Week, and focused donations in cash or in kind, Lowe’s Canada has raised over $3.9 million to support the non-profit organization’s housing efforts across the country and help Habitat homeowners improve their living conditions.

To learn more about the initiative and partnership, visit habitat.ca/en/international-women-build-week. Follow #BuildHer and #WomenBuild on social media to join the conversation and view stories from around the world.

To share this news on social media, please use @HabitatGTA on Facebook, @Habitat for Humanity GTA and @Lowe’s Canada on LinkedIn, or @HabitatGTA and @LowesCanadaCorp on twitter.

About Habitat for Humanity GTA

Habitat for Humanity GTA is a non-profit housing organization with a global vision of a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. We mobilize communities to help working families build strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership. With the help of volunteers, donors, and community partners we provide a solid foundation for better, healthier lives for families in the GTA. Since 1988, Habitat GTA has built 25 new communities, providing a hand up to hundreds of families so parents and children can have a safe, decent and affordable place to call home.

habitatgta.ca

About Lowe’s Canada

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE^® 50 home improvement company serving approximately 20 million customers a week in the United States and Canada. With fiscal year 2020 sales of nearly $90 billion, Lowe’s and its related businesses operate or service more than 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores and employ over 300,000 associates. Based in Boucherville, Quebec, Lowe’s Canadian business, together with its wholly owned subsidiary RONA inc., operates or services some 470 corporate and independent affiliate dealer stores in a number of complementary formats under different banners, which include Lowe’s, RONA, Reno-Depot, and Dick’s Lumber. In Canada, they have more than 26,000 associates, in addition to approximately 5,000 employees in the stores of independent affiliate dealers operating under the RONA banner.

lowescanada.ca