Where will the next generation live?
You would think someone who had worked 30 years in housing would know better. But it was really not until my children were almost grown that I began to ask the question I now believe is central to Toronto’s success.
Where will the next generation live?
It’s a question that can easily pit the interests of parents against those of their children. Read more…
Vancouver’s Vision is for housing
Imagine a Mayoral candidate who put housing at the heart of his election platform.
Imagine a slate of City Council candidates who bragged they had secured funding for 1500 low-income units, opened low-barrier homeless shelters, created new co-op and rental housing – and promised, if elected to do more of the same. Imagine them displaying an interactive city map on their campaign home page, showing the 14 lucky neighbourhoods to benefit from new social housing.
Would they get elected? In Vancouver, they just did. Read more…
Looking for a painless $100 million?
Where can Toronto Community Housing get the $100 million a year it needs to fix up its buildings? Read more…
Enhancing life chances
A social mission. An enterprising spirit. This is the magic combination that government and other funders hope will yield the best return on their investment.
What could social enterprise look like in social housing? Read more…
Privatization? How about non-profitization?
Is there a way the City can get “out of the housing business” – as many conservatives say it should — without selling off buildings or selling out tenants?
It’s hard to imagine. We are already seeing the distress of the 700+ Toronto Community Housing families who have been told their houses will be sold to the highest bidder. As one tenant said, it is like “living on quicksand.”
But what if there was a way to privatize without tears? What if you could release the City from its responsibilities and make tenants’ lives better?
Read more…
Will TCHC tenants be short-changed?
Say it isn’t so.
The scuttlebutt is that Toronto Community Housing has been asked to cut its 2012 budget by 10%.
On the face of it, a 10% cut might seem reasonable. All City departments are being asked to “find efficiencies” to pay for Toronto’s budget deficit. Why not TCHC? Read more…
“This youth groundswell has taken us off life-support.”
Years ago I sat at the back of a room full of agency, government and advocacy reps at a conference on youth engagement. One speaker after another wrung their hands at the challenges of finding young volunteers. Finally, one young man took the microphone. He said, “Youth need money. Pay the youth,” and sat down.
Good point! – a point that Tom Clement, Executive Director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto has known for years. Read more…
Losing the power to choose
If you live in Toronto you’ve no doubt read the City Manager’s September 9th report to City Council’s Executive Committee.
His recommendation: No new affordable housing, period. The Affordable Housing Office can wrap up projects that are already in the works, but it can’t start anything new – even if good opportunities arise. Read more…
Right-sizing democratic control
On June 11, 2010 I caught a glimpse of one of the most forward-looking new ideas to hit the housing world in years.
The occasion was the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada’s Annual General Meeting. The event: a webcast of Getting Scale Right in the Co-op Housing Sector. The presenters: Nicholas Gazzard, Executive Director of CHF Canada and Thom Armstrong, Executive Director of CHF – BC.
Nicholas and Thom asked the questions that have been on my mind for a long time. Are Canada’s housing co-ops the right size to give them the best chance for success in the coming years? And can co-ops harness the power of scale to better achieve their objectives? Read more…
Calling a new generation of co-op pioneers
Last week I said that “everyone loves co-ops.” I am one of those people. I got my first real job in a housing co-op, moved in, met my husband and raised my children in a co-op, and have loved them ever since. Read more…
Opening the Window 