Grey Bruce Students Gain Hands-On Trades Experience Through Foundations for the Future, a $146,000 Regional Program Supporting Skilled Trades, Youth and Housing

SAUGEEN SHORES, ON, JUNE 5, 2026 — OnePoint Association of REALTORS® (OnePoint) continued its Foundations for the Future program in Grey Bruce this week, bringing students directly onto an active build site to gain valuable skilled trades experience.

On June 1, students from Saugeen District Senior School spent the day alongside skilled volunteers from Habitat for Humanity at the Saugeen 5-Single Dwellings project. On June 3, students from St. Mary's High School participated in a similar build day experience, working onsite and learning firsthand about residential construction. A meaningful opportunity for Grade 10 Manufacturing and Grade 11/12 Construction students to apply their classroom learning in a real-world setting.

Throughout the day, students used real tools, completed meaningful tasks and contributed to a project that will provide affordable housing opportunities for local families. Students received safety training and hands-on instruction while gaining insight into career pathways in the skilled trades. During the build days, students also learned about the role affordable housing plays in strengthening communities and how organizations like Habitat for Humanity work alongside volunteers, donors, and community partners to create housing opportunities for families across the region.

“With the support from OnePoint, our affiliate can provide multiple opportunities for students across our region to engage in hands-on learning experiences in the homebuilding trades at our Build sites in Saugeen First Nation. The work the students are doing not only furthers their skills and confidence, but also enables them to participate in reconciliation. We greatly appreciate and value OnePoint’s partnership. Thank you so much! “ said Greg Fryer, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce.

Created and supported by local REALTOR® Members through OnePoint, and delivered in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), Foundations for the Future connects education, employment and housing through skilled trades learning experiences and scholarships. The initiative is designed to help prepare young people and build awareness of skilled trades career pathways.

Foundations for the Future has 12 learning experiences planned for 2026, with more than 200 students expected to participate across the region this year. This initiative will take different forms across OnePoint’s region depending on local programming and community needs.

In Grey Bruce, Foundations for the Future represents a total investment of $26,000 in local youth and housing initiatives. That includes a $20,000 Habitat for Humanity investment, as well as $6,000 in scholarships that will be awarded in June to students from 12 local high schools pursuing pathways into the skilled trades. Furthermore, $120,000 will be distributed throughout the other regions in OnePoint’s jurisdiction, including Wellington, Huron, Perth, Simcoe, Parry Sound, Haliburton and Muskoka.

The program responds to urgent challenges facing communities across the province. Housing insecurity is rising, with nearly 85,000 Canadians experiencing homelessness in 2025, up about 50% from 2022, and education disruptions can significantly impact this. Data shows that more than 53% of unhoused youth had dropped out of school, compared with a national dropout rate of just 9%.

At the same time, homeownership is becoming less attainable for younger adults, and Ontario’s goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031 will require major growth in the residential construction workforce. Demand is increasing just as many skilled trades workers approach retirement. In the Grey-Bruce region, employers are already struggling to fill construction and skilled trades roles, and by 2028, 1 in 5 job openings is expected to be in the skilled trades.

In addition to supporting affordable housing initiatives through Habitat for Humanity’s work, the program encourages students to explore skilled trades careers that are critical to Ontario’s housing future. Rental vacancy rates are critically low across Grey Bruce, with the Poverty Task Force reporting vacancy rates of 1.7% in Grey County and 1.4% in Bruce County, both below the 3% benchmark commonly considered healthy. Bruce County’s Housing Targets report states that the average purchase price in 2024 was $590,270 and was affordable only for the top 10% of household incomes.

“Foundations for the Future continues to demonstrate the impact that can be achieved when people come together around a common goal,” said Jennifer Morley, President of OnePoint. “Through the support of our REALTOR® Members and community partners, students have the opportunity to work alongside skilled volunteers, develop practical trades experience, and contribute to affordable housing initiatives. These partnerships help strengthen communities today while preparing the workforce needed to build the homes of tomorrow.”