Belonging
We believe that co-op housing is for everyone. We are dedicated to encouraging and supporting housing cooperatives in building communities that embody equitable access, opportunity, respect, and inclusion for everyone—including neurodiverse or neuro-atypical individuals, cultural and religious minorities, people with mental health conditions, persons with disabilities, racialized communities, and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals.
We do this through:
Education
We have developed two courses through the Centre for Co-operative Learning to address common concerns connected to belonging in housing co-ops: Power & Privilege and Addressing Unconscious Bias. These courses are offered for free, giving an overview of each issue and encouraging deeper learning, reflection, and discussion.
We also offer resources related to aging in place, supporting seniors who wish to remain in their homes.
Partnerships
We work in collaboration with housing partners like Sanford Housing Society, Tikvah Housing Society, M’akola Housing Society, and McLaren Housing Society to address housing needs in the communities they support.
We also work with a number of community groups, including the Right Fit to match available accessible co-op homes to those seeking accessible housing options, and QMUNITY, which will be opening its new community resource centre at the CLT development at 981 Davie Street in Vancouver.
New Community Land Trust developments have commitments to include a minimum number of accessible homes and to set aside homes for those with developmental disabilities though Community Living BC.
Funding
We offer co-ops support and new members grants to cover co-op share purchases for women fleeting domestic violence through the Domestic Violence Relief Fund and for individuals with disabilities through the Disability Trust.
Addressing Unconscious Bias in Co-ops
A free online course available on our learning platform.
The 2SLGBTQIA+ community is a significant presence throughout housing co-operatives in British Columbia
CHF BC is committed to working with our members to ensure that the federations, and our member housing co-operatives, are safe spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ people and their allies to fully self-express while feeling welcome and included.
Improving Co-op Access
We have several partnerships to make access to co-op housing more attainable.
Accessible Units
We partner with local organizations to help match people who need an accessible unit with co-ops.
Move-in Support
We offer interest-free loans to help with co-op share payments for those in need of immediate housing.