Manitoba Real Estate Association Builds Brighter Futures at Habitat for Humanity Manitoba’s Largest-Ever Development
On June 12, 2025, members of the Manitoba Real Estate Association (MREA) came together to lend a hand, and a hammer, for the association’s annual REALTORS Care® Day. Building on the momentum of last year’s REALTORS Care® Day, the volunteer efforts were focused on Habitat for Humanity Manitoba’s most ambitious project to date: the 55-home development on Pandora Avenue West in Winnipeg’s Transcona neighborhood.
The Pandora Avenue West project is more than just a construction site; it’s a symbol of strength, stability, and hope for families impacted by the housing crisis. Once completed, the development will provide safe and affordable housing to approximately 275 individuals, including 175 children.
In 2024, the Manitoba REALTORS® Shelter Foundation established a partnership with Habitat for Humanity Manitoba, entitled REALTORS Care® About Habitat for Humanity, in support of the Pandora Avenue development. The goal of the partnership is to raise $100,000 for Habitat by the end of 2025, recognizing the foundation as a title sponsor of this monumental build project. At the end of 2024, fundraising totals sat at $72,500.
During the REALTORS Care® Day, 25 REALTORS® contributed a combined total of 200 volunteer hours on site, engaging in construction tasks such as building walls, insulating, flooring and removing excavated materials from the site, contributing their time and skills to help bring this project closer to completion.
Since last year’s REALTORS Care® Day, the development has made significant progress, with families beginning to move into the completed homes. By 2026, the entire 55-home affordable housing development in scheduled to be completed. The Manitoba REALTORS® Shelter Foundation’s commitment to a project of this size underscores the determination of REALTORS® in Manitoba to provide meaningfully support for community members in need of safe and affordable housing.
“It feels so gratifying to be here to help Manitoba families who could ordinarily not afford a home to get a really good start and to get a leg up. It’s good to be a part of the solution,” said Clara Mitchell-Enns, a REALTOR® and salesperson with RE/MAX Performance Realty and Chair of the Manitoba Shelter Foundation.
More than 500 families have been able to build strength, stability and self-reliance thanks to Habitat Manitoba. The charity partners with working, low-income families to break down barriers to homeownership by offering a no-interest, no-down-payment mortgage. Each family is also required to attend a financial education workshop to prepare themselves for the responsibilities that come with being a first-time homeowner.
“We’re thrilled that we’ve actually moved 24 families already into this development, beginning last fall, up until last week,” shared Jamie Hall, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Manitoba. “We were thrilled to be part of handing the keys to new homeowners who are a part of our new affordable mortgage program, and it’s also really wonderful to be in a project where we have life happening as well, to smell the smells of lunch, to see flowers on the porches, and bikes along the doorways.”
Homes at the Pandora Avenue West site are built with sustainability in mind. With high-efficiency features like R32-insulated walls, triple-pane windows, and energy-efficient mechanical systems, these homes are designed to be both environmentally responsible and cost-effective, bringing average monthly utility costs down to around $100.
REALTORS® in Manitoba are encouraged to support this partnership and the important work being done by Habitat for Humanity. This fall, the Manitoba REALTORS® Shelter Foundation will be hosting another build day at the Pandora Avenue West development, giving members another chance to make a difference through hard work.
