Riverdale Housing Co-operative was established by a group of people deter­mined to make their housing needs a reality. Many of the founders had been on the waiting list of another housing co-operative, Sundance Co-op, between one and two years. Members reasons for wanting to start a co-op reflected the inability of the private market to provide adequate housing.  Some mem­bers couldn't afford private housing; others did not want to live with the insecurity of a landlord-tenant relationship.  People starting families wanted to be more settled without the pressures of purchasing a house. They expressed how important a sense of community was to them, where they could share common concerns, like raising children, and where they could help create a supportive environment for each other.  The group was also interested in solving problems co-operatively, to counteract the alienating situation where individual s face their burdens alone.

 

What are the basic ideas behind a co-op? What makes a co-op different from other forms of housing?

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a) A housing co-operative may be defined as people associating in a group to provide themselves with goods and services they could not get on an individual basis. Such a group shares rights and responsibilities equally and thus retains democratic control ;

b) Co-operation combines two important themes which are often thought to be opposed.  It respects the personal freedom of the individual as well as protecting the interests of the entire group.

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Riverdale Housing Co-operative is made up of 26 units, which are mostly 3 bedroom duplexes. We also have a couple of 2 or 4 bedroom duplexes; the most common vacancies are the 3 bedroom duplexes.

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