​For keen shoppers anxious to get back to finding amazing deals on new and gently used furniture, appliances, building supplies and home accessories, Habitat for Humanity Victoria will start re-opening its ReStores on Thursday, May 14th, 2020. The re-opening will take place in two phases, starting with its Westshore location as follows:
 
ReStore Westshore – located at 849 Orono Avenue in Langford – will be opening the doors to shoppers and accepting donations with modified hours Tuesday through Saturday 12 noon to 5:00 pm.  “The modified hours are designed to allow our staff time to process donations and get online purchases ready to be picked up, clean the store and re-stock,” advised Jim Walker, Director of Retail Operations. “Any new donations we receive will go through a quarantine process followed by cleaning before they are made available for sale.”
 
The Uptown ReStore – located at 3311 Oak Street – will open later in the month once the new protocols have been put in place. “Customers will notice some changes as we take the necessary precautions to keep everyone safe; their patience and kindness is very much appreciated as we work to maintain appropriate physical distancing,” added Jim.
 
The Tillicum ReStore – located at 50 Burnside Road West – will not be reopening. “This was an incredibly difficult decision for our charity, but amid the uncertainty of the impacts of the current health crisis, we opted to let our lease end,” said Yolanda Meijer, CEO. “We are extremely grateful to all of our staff, volunteers, donors and shoppers in the Gorge Tillicum area who welcomed us into their community and we hope to see them at our other two locations.” 

​As Habitat for Humanity Victoria continues the work of supporting families, the COVID-19 crisis clearly demonstrates the importance of having a safe and decent place to live. The call to stay home to protect those most vulnerable in our society has meant our ReStores have been closed since March and impacted the fundraising plans for our current builds.

Today is Giving Tuesday Now. A day of global giving and unity when all Canadians are invited to join charitable organizations in demonstrating the power of generosity. 

Please join us and donate to Habitat for Humanity Victoria so we can continue to support families in our community in the weeks and months ahead.
 
$25 helps buy a can of paint
$50 helps buy a box of nails
$250 helps buy a bathtub
$500 helps buy lighting supplies
$1000 helps buy energy efficient windows
$5000 helps buy a roof

Thank You for your caring and generosity! We wish you safe and healthy days ahead. We look forward to welcoming you in our ReStores and celebrating with you at our Build Sites as soon as we are able.

​As we each adapt to the conditions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we find ourselves adjusting to a new normal where “staying at home” whenever possible is the right thing to do to keep our families and communities safe. 

As a charity whose mission is driven by a belief in the benefits of a stable home, we want to reassure our donors that we will continue to support our families, volunteers and staff throughout this crisis.

In response to the impact of COVID-19, and to play our part in ensuring that as many people as possible were able to stay at home to reduce possible exposure to the virus, we temporarily closed all three ReStore locations effective March 20th. You will be aware that, under normal circumstances, our ReStores provide all the funding required to maintain our charity’s operations. Fortunately, thanks to all of you who have supported our organization in myriad ways, we have the financial resources to continue to sustain the charity and the important work we do in the immediate future. However, the loss of revenue from our ReStores will, of course, eventually begin to impact our operational capacity. 

Historically, 100% of your financial donations would have been directed into our Build Fund. At this time, we are asking you to consider designating any donations to our charity to instead be directed to “the area of greatest need” as we navigate the road ahead. This flexibility will help us to maintain essential services through these uncertain times. 

Again, please be reassured that no Habitat Victoria homeowner families will need to worry about the stability and security of their home during this crisis if they are experiencing financial instability due to job loss. 

Thank you for choosing to support Habitat for Humanity Victoria and the local families we serve. Be well! Be safe! 

To Our Valued Customers and Donors:
 
Thank you for shopping and donating at Habitat for Humanity Victoria ReStores, and helping local families build strength, stability and independence through affordable homeownership.
 
In light of the ongoing regional COVID-19 response, we have now taken the decision to temporarily close all ReStore operations. We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming weeks.

The Habitat team is still working under modified conditions and will be here to support you, for details and hours please go to contact us
 
The Habitat Victoria Team

To Our Valued Customers:
 
Thank you for shopping and donating at Habitat for Humanity Victoria ReStores, and helping local families build strength, stability and independence through affordable homeownership.
 
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation, we want to assure you that we are taking steps to protect the health of our staff, volunteers, customers and donors.
 
Providing clean stores and products has always been part of our mission. We are now taking additional measures to ensure washrooms, check-out areas, lunchrooms and any other regularly touched surfaces receive extra cleaning and attention throughout the day.
 
You may notice our staff wearing gloves. These gloves prevent minor injuries when handling and cleaning product and help remind our staff and volunteers not to touch their face.
 
All of our teams have received instruction on the importance of regular hand washing and appropriate techniques for doing so. We have asked all of our teams to practice the recommended social distancing when working in our stores. In addition, all team members have been advised that should they feel unwell they are to stay home.
 
Please know we are taking all reasonable steps to ensure a safe and healthy workplace as we continue to welcome visitors to our stores. We recognise this is a rapidly evolving situation and will take all appropriate action as advised by health authorities.
 
Thank you again for choosing to support your local community ReStores.
 
The Habitat Victoria Team

As the situation continues to evolve Habitat Victoria made the decision today to invite all of our volunteers to stay home. Our volunteers are essential to the work we do, we value the health and well being of everyone who so generously gives to our organization. We will keep all of our volunteers updated as things progress.  

In light of COVID-19, we are advising volunteers of our plans with respect to supporting Habitat Victoria. Please note that these plans may change as we obtain more information from BC Health. Our ReStores will remain open for volunteers and we are exercising diligence by the following:

• Volunteers must use their own gloves.
• Social distancing: please keep 2 metres distance from others.
• Encouraging frequent hand-washing and/or use of an alcohol-based hand rub.
• If you have COVID-19 symptoms please cancel your shift by emailing volunteer@habitatvictoria.com and stay home.
• If you or a member of your household has recently traveled internationally, please refrain from volunteering with Habitat for 14 days upon return.

 
Older adults, people with compromised immune systems, and people with chronic diseases are at greater risk. If you fit any of these demographics, please consider your role with us carefully and let us know if you plan to make any changes to your shifts during this time. 
 
We will keep you up-to-date on our website at habitatvictoria.com/covid-19

The Habitat Victoria Team