
Welcoming North Arm Housing Co-operative’s First Member
On June 20th, Olga Riabova was the first member to move into the new co-op at the corner of Fraser and East 19th Avenue in Vancouver. The North Arm Senior’s Housing Co-operative includes 58 homes for seniors aged 55 and up, and a partnership with the 411 Seniors Centre Society means there will soon be a seniors’ centre on the ground floor that will include a commercial kitchen, multi-purpose space and office space.
A month after moving in and the excitement hasn’t worn off for the 63-year-old Riabova.
“It’s fantastic!” she said. “It was just like a firework in my life.”
Before her move to North Arm, Riabova had been living in a one-bedroom apartment in an older Metrotown building. She loved the location, but was growing concerned as the demolition of affordable, older buildings in Metrotown crept ever closer to her home.
She had been diligently renewing her applications for non-profit and co-op housing for over 15 years and was starting to think that it would never happen.
“I’m a single person and for a l...