Vancouver Development Consultant is New Head of Toronto-Based Options for Homes, Affordable Home Developer

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - March 08, 2016) - Heather Tremain, Harvard Fellow and development consultant, has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer for Options for Homes, Canada's largest non-profit delivery agent of affordable home ownership.

Tremain replaces Mike Labbé, who founded and led the organization for 21 years. Mike is now the president and Director General for Options International, established to deliver affordable housing outside of Canada, primarily in Africa.

"I am delighted I was able to recruit Heather to Options for Homes. She brings the right mix of development smarts and social conscience that Options needs to reach the next stage of growth," Labbé says.

Already, Tremain is setting the bar high stating "within three years, we expect to be delivering 1,000 condo units a year, priced under the average market price of housing in the GTA. People should have the chance to buy a home, at an attainable price, and build equity for their futures. With the Options for Homes model, it is possible to make the dream of affordable home ownership a reality. We want to reverse this unfair trend towards wealth inequality in our society." 

Tremain comes to Options' Toronto head office from Vancouver, where she was a principal of Urban Fabric Group, a consultancy that advises non-profits on their real estate strategies. She was also a founder of Vancouver's first green building development and consulting company, reSource Rethinking Building, which developed an innovative model for affordable ownership. Her projects have received numerous awards from the Urban Development Institute (BC), Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), as well as the Mayor's Environmental Award in Vancouver. In addition, she was the creator and producer of the internationally broadcast television series, Healthy Homes, seen on HGTV in North America.

In relocating to Ontario, Tremain is returning to the part of the country where she was raised. "I am excited to be in Toronto. I think the conditions are ripe here to really raise the bar and make beautiful and affordable condominium homes available to even more people in this dynamic city. In Toronto, I sense that we have all the necessary building blocks to scale up affordable housing production -- demand, political support and a strong developer -- in Options for Homes," says Tremain.

Stay connected with Options for Homes online at www.optionsforhomes.ca.

Follow Options for Homes on Twitter @OptionsforHomes.

Like Options for Homes on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/OptionsGroup.

About Options for Homes

Options for Homes is Canada's largest non-profit delivery agent of affordable home ownership. Now in its 21st year, Options creates ownership opportunities for households with incomes as low as $30,000 per year by providing purchasers with down payment assistance. Since the first development in Toronto's Distillery District, Options and its affiliates have created homes for over 6,500 households using a unique housing model. Options for Homes is about to break ground on two new projects in Toronto that together will enable 525 families to own their own homes.