I think people don’t realize it exists. If you’re just walking down the street, a co-op looks exactly like any other apartment building.
More than 2,000 non-profit housing co-ops — from buildings with four units to complexes with hundreds of apartments — exist in Canada. There are 263 in B.C. alone. Most were created with federal and provincial funding from the 1970s to the 1990s, according to the Co-operative Housing Federation of B.C.
A non-profit co-op is like a democratic country: residents have a vote in how it’s run as long as they live there. And because it’s not trying to make money, the co-op can charge lower rates than average private rents.
Connaught Co-op, Vancouver
The Connaught Co-op has 63 two-bedroom units that are 797 sq. ft. The monthly charge is $1005 with a minimum income requirement of $38,5000.
The Creekview Housing Co-op is an eight-storey building with 103 units on Granville Island. It has an on-site daycare.
Amicae Housing Co-operative, Vancouver
Housing co-ops in Vancouver Eastside
