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NEWS

Our friends at the Canadian Housing & Renewal Association recently released a report on the community housing—including co-ops—on Canada’s economic productivity.

The report provides five policy recommendations to boost community housing supply and tackle Canada’s productivity problem.

At our 2023 AGM on November 19, delegates passed an emergency resolution.

The resolution urges the THAT CHFBC urge the federal government and the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities to launch the Co-op Housing Development Program without further delay.

The Urban Politics and Governance research group at McGill University is leading a research project for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to better understand the lived experiences of housing transitions in Canada. 

They are looking to interview housing co-operative residents in British Columbia who have had a recent (i.e. in the past five years or so) experience of a move into or out of a housing co-operative.

Co-op housing federations and associations across the country are recruiting and training new housing co-op educators.

Being a housing co-op educator is flexible work that offers great rewards for those passionate about supporting secure housing in healthy, vibrant co-operative communities.

A complex experiment is saving co-ops and developing homes to be affordable. Permanently.

A project of CHF BC has a twofold mission: to rescue old co-ops and to reboot the development of affordable housing, long neglected by the federal government.

The governments of Canada and British Columbia along with the City of Vancouver announced combined funding of more than $91 million for a major affordable housing project that will build 154 new homes for people living and working in Vancouver.

The project is owned and operated by Community Land Trust in partnership with McLaren Housing Society. The first two floors will be the new home for QMUNITY, a non-profit organization that works to improve queer, transgender, and Two-Spirit lives.

North Arm Housing Co-operative is the newest addition to the Community Land Trust (CLT) portfolio. It brings an additional 58 homes at Fraser and East 19th Avenue in East Vancouver.

Aimed at for a diverse 55+community, the co-op features studio and one-bedroom apartments for members within the seven-story building. It is a welcoming, connected and inclusive neighbourhood with affordable housing for a secure long-term home.

The days of the “mom-and-pop” landlord are largely behind us. Now, housing units are being snapped up or developed by large corporate entities and private-equity firms. It can be hard to figure out who  actually owns a building. Homes being treated like major sources of capital, instead of places for people to live.

Erika Sagert, policy manager for the BC Non-Profit Housing Association, has been trying to identify just how many people are affected by this financialization of housing.

On July 19, 2023, a devastating fire at Devonshire Court Housing Co-operative in Maple Ridge destroyed 12 homes. Thankfully everyone made it out safely. Displaced members are staying in a hotel for the near future but urgently need to find new longer-term accommodations while their homes are restored. Ideally the housing will be located near the Maple Ridge area. 

If your co-op has a vacancy they can offer to families or individuals from Devonshire Court, please send an email to members@chf.bc.ca.

Our friends at the Youth Excellence Society (YES)—best know for their summer camp programs—have some exciting news!

The have launched a brand new YES Scholarship Program. The YES believes that all youth should be able to follow their passions, and they are excited to bring this opportunity to their Alumni Participants.

A $500-million rental-protection fund that will help non-profit groups purchase rental buildings has opened in British Columbia.

The fund aims to help First Nations and other non-profit groups buy older “affordable” rental buildings to preserve them as low-cost rental housing.

Earlier this week, our Housing Central partners at BC Non Profit Housing Association released an updated Canadian Rental Housing Index including data from the 2021 census. 

The Index is a comprehensive database that compiles rental housing statistics for cities, regions, and provinces across Canada.