Our vision of who we are is also shaped by our commitment to give service of the best possible quality at a fair price. We define our commitment to serve through the aims that Canadian housing co-operatives hold in common. Our shared aims include:
Meeting our members’ need for:
- good housing people can afford through wise decisions at the time of development, an active membership, not-for-profit operation and assistance for low-income households
- security of tenure based on respect for members’ rights as joint resident-owners, fair application of by-laws, effective management, striking a balance between group and individual needs, and protection from the sale of the property
- safe and secure communities in physical design and in attention to domestic violence and other crime in our co-operatives and neighbourhoods
- control over our housing environment through educated decisions on budgets and governance, and resistance to undue intervention by government in co-op affairs
- community by means of co-op traditions that celebrate tolerance, mutual support and social, cultural, ethnic and economic diversity among members as a source of strength
- opportunities for personal growth through co-op education and our expectation that all members will contribute what they can to the co-op.
Meeting our responsibility to the larger community through:
- involvement in our immediate neighbourhoods
- fair employment practices within co-operatives
- choices that respect the environment and demonstrate the principles of sustainable human settlements
- support for co-operative development in Canada and abroad.
Meeting our responsibility to future generations by:
- practising stewardship, including responsible care of co-op lands and buildings, economical management, not-for-profit operation and the creation of land trusts
- lobbying governments for fair housing policies that work for all of us
- developing new housing co-operatives at home and abroad.
Reprinted from the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto