A non-profit co-op is a form of housing with community, affordability and security of tenure at its heart.
A co-op is different from rental homes or condos in several ways. Buildings are owned by the co-op and residents become members who collectively work together to create a strong and engaged community. Rents, known as housing charges, are based on the real costs of running the building and co-op members can live in their unit for as long as they like without worry of being forced to leave – assuming they live by community standards!
Together, this makes co-ops permanently affordable, welcoming and stable places to live and set down roots.
About CHFT
The Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto (CHFT) is a member-supported organization representing more than 50,000 people living in more than 180 non-profit housing co-operatives located in Durham, Toronto and York Region.
Residents are co-op members, meaning the people who live there help run it. Each member has a vote, and a Board of Directors is elected from the membership.
There’s long-term affordability.
Housing charges are based on the true costs of running the co-op, making them typically lower than rental.
It’s a stable place to live.
Co-op members can remain for as long as they like, making co-ops secure and stable housing. Members are only asked to leave if they break the co-op bylaws.
Mission-driven stewardship.
As community developers, co-ops are designed not to be sold or converted to other forms of tenure. This helps people feel confident when putting down roots.
They are vibrant communities.
Co-op members actively work together to foster a sense of community. People know they can build a long life in a co-op and tend to be involved and engaged.
They’re supported by CHFT.
In Toronto, over 180 Co-op boards are supported by CHFT, which has been providing governance guidance, education and resources to co-ops for over 50 years.
A New Standard of Excellence
This is a pivotal time for the co-op movement. The acute need for affordable housing is bringing renewed attention to a long-standing tradition.
Co-ops were a popular form of housing in Canada from the 1970s to 1990s. In fact, there are over 180 co-ops in the GTA that are a part of the Co-operative Housing Federation ofToronto. But there have been very few new co-op units developed since federal funding ended in the ’90s.
That is changing. Today, CHFT and the CHFT Development Society are building the largest co-op community in three decades, ushering in a new era of co-ops inToronto.
Kennedy Green A standard of excellence
With award-winning design, multi-level partnerships and ambitious sustainability features, CHFT’s 612-unit project Kennedy Green represents the best in co-op development.
With world-class design, multi-level partnerships and ambitious sustainability features, CHFT’s 612-unit project Kennedy Green represents the best in co-op development.
A hallmark of this new era of co-ops is rethinking the relationship between community and land. This future ensures each aspect of co-op living is approached with expertise.
Expert Development Capacity
CHFT Development Society bolsters CHFT’s ability to scale with a team of seasoned development professionals, making large-scale projects with public and private stakeholders possible. With expert focus on development, new communities can be designed with the unique needs of co-ops in mind.
Stewardship of Community Assets
32 CHFT co-ops are now under the management of land trusts, which steward the co-op’s assets. Land trusts professionally manage the buildings and protect the co-op, ensuring the buildings remain well maintained over the long run.
Excellence in Community Building
With a land trust, co-op boards are no longer expected to be responsible for complex capital projects. Instead, they can focus on what they do best: building community.
CHFT Land Trusts: Fuelling the Co-op Movement
A land trust is a non-profit group that acts as a steward of land, ensuring permanent affordability.
CHFT’s Co-operative Housing Land Trusts currently represent over 4,300 households that live in 32 co-ops throughout southern Ontario.
Aside from providing professional asset management and land stewardship, CHFT’s land trusts come with another advantage. After 50 years of community building, many of the co-ops in its portfolio are now owned outright, giving CHFT the capacity to build more co-ops and scale affordable housing across the GTA. This is how CHFT and the CHFT Development Society are reigniting the co-op movement in Toronto.
Decades of Community Excellence
The Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto (CHFT) has been the leading voice of the co-op movement in the Greater Toronto Area for over 50 years.
As a member-supported organization, it represents more than 50,000 people living in more than 180 non-profit housing co-operatives located in Durham, Toronto and York Region. CHFT provides co-ops guidance on effective management and community building, along with education resources and scholarships to help co-op members attend post-secondary school.
CHFT Diversity Scholarships
Founded in 2004, CHFT’s diversity scholarship is one of the ways it helps co-op members. The scholarship recognizes people living in co-ops who are actively promoting diversity through work within their community. It has awarded over 500 scholarships in Toronto, Durham and York Region, totalling over $2.3 million. To date people from over 116 co-ops have won scholarships.
