Submitted by Jacky Durrie
CMHC Preservation Funding available to federal program housing co-ops
CMHC is now offering Preservation Funding to community housing providers, including housing co-ops with an active federally-administered operating agreement, to “help complete activities that will allow them to transition to a more viable and sustainable model.”
This is a great opportunity for federal program co-ops to get funding to do important planning and asset management. In this ongoing program, CMHC is accepting applications on a continuous basis, and reviews and prioritizes them every 30 days.
Part of the funding in the National Housing Strategy, Preservation Funding can help cover activities including but not limited to:
Building condition audit/assessment (BCA)
Capital replacement reserve planning (CRP)
Refinance consultation, analysis, assessment
Operating viability analysis
Age-friendly (i.e. aging in place) conversion assessment
Energy audit
For more information, visit CMHC’s Preservation Funding webpage. For help completing your application, you can contact CMHC’s Affordable Housing Specialist for your region.
Five ways to celebrate Co-op Week: Oct 14-20
Did you know that the third week of October is Co-op Week across Canada?
Co-op Week is a chance for members to celebrate the co-op advantage. Here are five ways your co-op can join in the celebration:
Show your love for co-ops by downloading these Co-op Week posters. Post in common areas of your co-op to get members excited about Co-op Week.
Host a screening of A Silent Transformation, a film about co-ops. Invite neighbours in your community to join.
Hold a Cheese and Chocolate Social featuring products from co-op producers. Camino, Gay Lea & St. Albert Cheese are just a few of the delicious co-op options you can try.
Organize a co-op walk to explore the other co-ops in your neighbourhood.
Decorate your Co-op Week event with the latest co-op merchandise from The Flag Shop.
If your co-op is on social media, be sure to share your events using the hashtag #CoopWeek2018.
Happy Co-op Week!
Introducing New Aboriginal Director, Tina Stevens
CHF Canada and CHF Canada’s Indigenous members welcome Tina Stevens as their new Director Representing Aboriginal Communities.
This is Tina’s second time on the board. In 1996, she was the first Aboriginal Community director for CHF Canada.
Tina has dedicated her life to Indigenous leadership, both in and out of the co-op housing context. Her contribution has included advocacy for the Aboriginal Community director seat on the CHF Canada board while living at Native Inter-Tribal Housing Co-operative, and work as the second director appointed to the Ontario Council.
Throughout her roles, Tina has maintained a belief that housing co-ops provide a safe family environment for members to connect with their culture and community, maintain self-respect and respect for Mother Earth, find employment, access higher education and nurture the seeds for future generations.
Tina is an Algonquin-Ojibwe woman from Kitigan Zibi, Kettle and Stoney Point, who has lived in London, Ontario her whole life. She has three strong sons and attributes her energy to having been raised by a strong mother-- a great elder in her own community.
CHRA Housing Professionals Mentorship Program
The Housing Professionals Mentorship Program of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA) connects experienced housing professionals with those who are ready to take the next step in their professional journey, or graduate students whose research is focused on housing or homelessness in Canada. Applications for the 2019 cohort are being accepted until October 31, 2018.
“The mentorship connected me with an experienced practitioner in the field who helped me see how the programs and policies I work on play out in the real world,” says past program participant and CHF Canada Program Manager, Policy and Government Relations Douglas Wong. “Beyond that, my mentor has provided me with career counsel and advice. As a young professional still new to the sector, this has proven invaluable.”
Visit the program webpage for more information.