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Preservation Fund: Financial Assistance with Essential Planning Tools
In October, we reported on New Money from CMHC for Planning through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)’s Preservation Fund. The fund was created as an offshoot of the Seed Funding program, which allows co-ops with federally administered operating agreements, in good standing, to apply
What to Look for in Your Next Risk Report
Once a year, all Agency clients get what their boards tell us is our most important report, which is now enjoying a make-over. When you receive it, you’ll see a refreshed Risk Report that is tighter, more visual and easier to read. Although it has a different look, you will find there the same
Call for Applications: The National Housing Council for a National Housing Strategy
Do you want to help dismantle the barriers that Canadians face in accessing affordable housing? Are you involved in the housing or human-rights sector and eager to secure better housing outcomes? Are you interested in providing advice and recommendations on the National Housing Strategy? If so
Arrears and Bad Debts: Continued Improvement
Your co-op is in the housing business, not the lending business. If a household doesn’t pay what it owes and moves out, you’re left with a bad debt, which will have to be covered by your other members. It is important for your co-op to keep arrears to a minimum and even better, to keep them at zero!
Say “No” to Directors in Arrears and Put it in Writing
Everyone agrees that housing co-ops need to eliminate member arrears—or at least keep them to a bare minimum. Uncontrolled arrears are the mark of a co-op sliding into financial difficulty, putting at risk its ability to cover day-to-day operating expenses. Arrears also take money out of the members
Federal Program Housing Co-ops: Getting Better All the Time
There’s no doubt that, as a group, the Agency’s client housing co-operatives are continuing to produce better results. We compared their performance in 2018 with their operations in the Agency’s early years—now more than a decade ago—and we are impressed with our clients’ progress. It was also good
Hawthorne Housing Co-operative: A More Sustainable Future
What is Hawthorne Housing Co-operative thinking? Many co-ops would view its healthy condition with envy and look for no further improvement. Yet, with the end of its extended operating agreement in view, Hawthorne (Surrey, BC) is preparing itself for a sustainable future.
On the whole, the 59-unit
Looking to Borrow in a Year or so? Introducing the HPC Housing Investment Corporation
In February, British Columbia’s Community Land Trust (CLT) completed the refinancing for a building that houses two Vancouver co-operatives, Railyard and Aaron Webster. The deal was put in place with the help of the HPC Housing Investment Corporation (HIC) through a process known as take-out
Co-op Data Report: Your Co-op and All the Others
In 2018, we asked our co-op clients to rank the Agency reports they receive each year from most to least useful. For co-op managers, the Co-op Data Report ranked at number 3. For board members, it came last—at number 5. So now we have another question… is your co-op getting all it can from this
Tip of the Month
Plans in Action
The average co-op with an approved capital replacement plan tucks away more than $3,600 per unit in reserves each year--triple the 2007 amount. Does their future hold better windows? New kitchens? Savings mean more choices.