Our Co-op came into being on May 16, 1985, when it was formally incorporated, following Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) approval of its acquisition and renovation plans, which were developed and submitted by our Resource Organization, the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto.
It is the purpose of our non-profit Co-op to provide housing to its members on a co-operative and secure basis at the lowest possible cost which is consistent with the continued existence and health of the Co-op as a whole.
It is also the purpose of the Co-op to foster the development of the kind of community where members share a commitment to work together and to contribute toward the safety, security and wellbeing of all its members, while being responsible and exercising foresight in making decisions for the continued benefit and health of the Co-op as a whole.
The strength of our community is thus directly related to the quantity and quality of participation of its members. To earn the benefits that are available from living in a co-op, members must make a contribution to the Co-op to the best of their ability – becoming involved in one or another aspect of the Co-op operations. By helping to run the co-op, members will acquire the necessary skills to take their turn, when it comes, to make informed decisions, assess means, establish priorities and direct the business of the co-op.
Due to the nature of its agreement with CMHC, the Co-op is able to provide Housing Charge Assistance from a government grant to a number of its members.
In addition, members temporarily in difficulty may find support in this community in a variety of ways, in part through the resourcefulness and generosity of individual members or members in small groups who may be willing to assist others in a predicament.
While this type of assistance is not an obligation of the Co-op as a business, it is the privilege of a community the spirit and quality of which is determined by the attitudes and the actions of its individual members in their relationships with others. In expressing this dimension of community, we affirm that we are not glorified landlords and tenants – a condition we hoped to overcome when preparing to become a Co-op.
Working together toward the common goal of calling a clean, attractive and well-run place our home, it is in our power to determine its character and its future by our contribution – be it by making good decisions, abiding by the decisions made by the majority or by helping in any other way we can.
Cardiff Housing Co-op is also working toward becoming an active member of the wider community in the neighborhood and of the local and the Canadian co-operative organizations.
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