As the Agency for Co-operative Housing marks its 20th anniversary this year, we’ve been reflecting on what makes us unique. At heart, we’ve never seen ourselves as just a service provider for government. Instead, we’re a community built by people who know co‑operative housing inside and out, and who care deeply about its social purpose.
It probably comes as no surprise that many of us came to the Agency from housing co-ops, federations and management companies. These backgrounds have enabled our staff to bring levels of experience and technical expertise to their work at the Agency. But staff brought something more with them: a shared passion for housing with a social purpose, and for fostering communities where people can belong and feel safe.
For some, that connection started early. Rental Assistance Officer Laura Collins grew up in a co-op.
“I remember dropping off meeting notices with my brother, potlucks, babysitting for other members,” she recalls.
Those early experiences in co-ops helped shape her career and she has moved from working in property management to serving as a non-resident board member.
Now she helps co-ops navigate the Rental Assistance Program (FCHI-2) at the Agency.
“Even when it’s difficult, it’s worthwhile. There’s idealism here, and people really believe in the mission,” she said.
Other staff members had similar stories.
Bridget Bayliss, now the Agency’s Director, Information Services, started out as a housing co‑op member and later worked at Black Creek Co-operative Homes in Toronto when it opened, eventually becoming a manager.
“Working in a co-op office meant constant troubleshooting. We’d ask, ‘We’ve got a problem—what do we have to solve it?’”
From there, Bridget moved on to work at Lantana Non-Profit Housing Corporation, a resource group that provided expertise in community development and project management as a developer of co-operative housing in the Toronto area.
Her work there with co-operatives showed her how different the sector is in its approach.
“That collaborative spirit is something I still see here at the Agency,” she said, “Input is encouraged, and anyone can contribute.”
David Nagy, one of the Agency’s relationship managers, first encountered co-ops through youth advocacy work, helping at-risk youth find stable housing. From there, he moved on to working as a manager at Apple Grove in Hamilton for 15 years. Since joining the Agency, David has worked with many co-ops in difficult financial circumstances and helped them create plans to resolve issues with their buildings and operations.
“I know the pressure co-ops face when they’re struggling,” he said. “We put in a lot of hard work to turn co-ops around and get them on a stronger foundation.”
Today, we’re able to see the payoff from the work that co-ops have done with the Agency’s help and guidance and the support of the national and regional federations. The satisfaction that comes from looking at so many healthy co-op clients is something many of us have reflected on this year.
Mel Cameron, the Agency’s Culture and Client Service Champion, worked as a co-op manager before coming to the Agency and saw how much life improves for the members of a well-run co-op.
“As a manager, I could see day in and day out how people benefited from living in places like these,” she said. “Strong financial administration helps people stay housed, so that’s really what we are aiming to do here: help co-ops succeed so communities can thrive.”
Mel said she sees a parallel between co-ops and the Agency itself.
“We’re a community of workers here,” she said. “Like a co-op, we have structures to deal with conflict and solve problems collectively.”
That’s always been a part of the Agency’s DNA from the very beginning. Larry Lenske, a Senior Business Applications Analyst and one of the Agency’s earliest employees, remembers those first days vividly.
“We didn’t know exactly what we were doing because it hadn’t been done before,” he said. “But the people who really cared about these places were in charge and that feeling guided us.”
Created to act as the administrator of co-op programs in place of CMHC, the Agency’s service contract is about managing operating agreements and monitoring compliance. But thanks to the team’s deep roots in the sector, our focus on risk management meant that we were able to lead our co-op clients in making the hard decisions needed to improve their operations and ultimately achieve long-term stability.
That evolution was made possible by one of the Agency’s core strengths: people who understand the value of balancing sound business practices and community because they’ve lived it and believe in it. For 20 years, that commitment has shaped how we work not just as professionals, but also by holding true to a variation of the sixth co-operative principle: co‑operators helping co-operators.
As we celebrate this milestone year, we’re proud of what we’ve built together. And we’re excited at what’s ahead: continuing to support housing with a social purpose, where a strong business model makes it possible for co-op members to grow the communities that make their homes more than just a place to live.