Land trusts preserve and expand co-op and non-profit housing throughout BC.
Currently there are three land trusts operated through the Co-operative Housing Federation of British Columbia (CHF BC). These organizations share a common mission: to support co-operative and non-profit housing and the low- and moderate income households that depend on it now and may look forward to it in the future. Similar land trusts operate in other parts of Canada, the UK and the United States.
Community Housing Land Trust Foundation
The Community Housing Land Trust Foundation (CHLTF) was established in 1993 by CHF BC members to acquire, create and preserve affordable housing for future generations and to foster self-managed housing communities in BC. Five housing co-operatives and one non-profit housing society lease land from the Land Trust, and they provide more than 350 housing units to co-op members and residents. For more information on this land trust, contact CHF BC. You may also be interested in the study, Linking Affordable Housing Policies to Usage: Case Studies of Municipalities in BC.
CHLTF is a registered charity (Reg.#.: 889796470RR0001) and administers two funds to help new members cover the cost of their shares:
Disability Trust
As part of joining a housing co-op, a new member must buy shares. The Disability Trust helps people with disabilities who are unable to pay for their shares by providing a loan with no fee or interest.
Domestic Violence Relief Fund
The Domestic Violence Relief Fund (DVRF) is a program administered by the Land Trust to help women who have experienced or are at risk of abuse, threats or violence. Like the Disability Trust, the DVRF provides loans with no fee or interest to qualified beneficiaries. If you know a woman who might be eligible for this fund and would like information about housing co-ops please get in touch.
Vancouver Community Land Trust Foundation
The Vancouver Community Land Trust Foundation (VCLTF) was established in 2014 as a non-profit society to acquire, create and preserve affordable housing for future generations.
Land Trust Projects
The four sites partnership is a ground-breaking agreement between the co-op and non-profit housing sector, the City of Vancouver and Vancity Credit Union. The consortium aims to develop 358 units of housing affordable to a broad range of Vancouver residents, from the most vulnerable to those who simply need an affordable place to call home.
The City will provide 99-year leases on four City-owned sites to the Vancouver Community Land Trust Foundation. The Foundation will work with co-op and non-profit housing providers to develop the affordable housing, which will then be operated by the partners.
See media about VCLTF projects on CHF BC’s Media Room page.
- Fraserview Housing Co-operative will develop 278 units. Two residential towers on SE Marine Drive will be home to moderate-and-low-income families and singles while a 90-unit river-front project on East Kent Avenue will provide three-bedroom townhouses and two- and three-bedroom apartments for families. NOTE: At the present time, no applications are being taken for potential membership in the new co-op. There is also no waiting list, but please keep an eye out for more information coming in the future.
- Tikva Housing Society will operate 32 townhouses, also on East Kent Avenue, next door to the co-op towers. These will provide housing for low-income families.
- On Kingsway, Sanford Housing Society will offer 48 one-bedroom units primarily for people living with mental illness. This site allows for commercial space at street-level. This space (commercial rental unit, CRU) will be sold and the proceeds used to reduce costs over the four sites.
The non-profit partners will invest almost $4 million of their own equity to the projects. Together with the City’s land contribution, a customized mortgage arranged by Vancity and the proceeds of the commercial space sale, this equity will ensure that these homes remain affordable over the long-term.
Work began on the first of the projects in September 2015. Full occupancy of all the projects is scheduled for 2017/2018.
Community Land Trust Foundation of BC
The Community Land Trust Foundation of BC (CLTF BC) was established in 2015 by CHF BC. It is a non-profit society with a mission to acquire, create and preserve affordable housing for future generations. It has a particular focus on development and redevelopment projects.
The key purposes of the land trust are outlined in its constitution and include the following:
- To provide and preserve opportunities for persons of primarily low and moderate income to acquire and occupy housing and accommodation and facilities that would otherwise be unattainable and unaffordable.
- To develop and make available for development real estate held by it for housing and related accommodation and facilities that will assist persons occupying it, and primarily persons of low and moderate income, seniors, and the specially challenged, to sustain and improve the quality of life.
- To develop and make available for development real estate held by it for mixed use and mixed income projects that contribute toward the purposes of the Foundation.
- To promote and model ecologically sound use of land resources for projects that contribute toward the purposes of the Foundation.
CLTF BC’s status as a non-profit organization is also embedded in its constitution and is unalterable.
For more information on the Land Trust and it’s activities, please contact Tiffany Duzita, CLTF BC’s Director of Development.
220 – 1651 Commercial Drive. Vancouver, BC V5L 3Y3
D: 604-343-2366
M: 604-897-5111 ext #200
C: 778-994-4814