CHI Board Meeting, Quebec City, Canada

President’s Report

The President reported on a meeting with the representatives of the sector organizations and the Alliance Board of Directors in Stockholm building on an earlier meeting held in Brussels to discuss sectoral priorities and concerns. These concerns are primarily focused on the need for a better business cycle for sector organizations (providing them with approval in principle for workplans and budgets, before the new budget year has started).

Vice-President’s Report

Directors were in receipt of an oral report and presentation from the Vice-President covering his attendance at the two-day United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) joint conference, held September 14-15 in Geneva, providing an overview of challenges facing the Ukrainian co-operative housing sector, particularly the government’s lack of a housing policy.

It was noted that co-op systems are seen as relics of the Communist era in the Ukraine. Many flats have been converted to condos or PLCs; no regulatory context is required for these forms of housing vs. housing co-operatives. He also noted that this isn’t only occurring in previously Soviet-bloc countries.

Others also noted:  In Estonia, help had previously been given to transform quasi-co-ops to true housing co-ops; however, all co-ops in Estonia have now been converted to other forms of tenure and housing co-ops have disappeared as a form of housing.

In Turkey, some housing units are being sold on a non-profit basis; but other housing is being sold by parties supported by government, on a for-profit basis.

In Chile, during the Pinochet era, housing co-ops had disappeared. But in the last ten years, co-ops are re-emerging with the support of public/private partnerships.

In Israel, the conservative government sees kibbutz and co-op movements as socialist/left-wing organizations. Co-operators met with the Ministry and government officials to persuade them that what is necessary is a plural economy — private, public and the co-op sectors all participating – to achieve not only economic, but social, outcomes. There is good policy and its good politics to support co-ops as can be demonstrated by the larger global co-op community.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Directors were reminded of the 17 sustainability goals that were supported by 190 world leaders in 2015. Countries are working towards the achievement of the sustainability goals by 2030. For CHI, the goals will serve as the lens through which the 2017 workplan will be reviewed.

2016 Action Plan Progress Report

Directors were in receipt of a written report indicating the status of each project/activity undertaken in 2016. It was noted that lots of work has been done to support the revamping of the CHI website, with the support and assistance of the CHI communications working group: Dermot Sellers (Co-operative Housing Ireland), Blase Lambert (CHI Board), Jane Cameron (CHI website co-ordinator), and Julie Lapalme (CHI program director).

It was noted that the new website will be made so that it can be viewed on various platforms (desktop, mobile, tablet). The program director will ensure instructions for users to translate the new website from English is made available on the main page.

2016 Communications Progress Report

Directors were in receipt of a written and oral report by the CHI Website Co-ordinator containing utilisation statistics for each of CHI’s social media sites and website.

Membership Report

Directors were in receipt of an oral report reporting on the continued involvement of CHI with the National Association of Housing Co-operatives (NAHC). The CHI president and program director will be attending the NAHC annual meeting in Las Vegas at the end of October, and will be speaking with NAHC representatives  then about the advantages of becoming a CHI member, under the auspices of the National Co-operative Business Association (NCBA), which is already a member of The Alliance. Linda Brockway reported that she was preparing a paper for the NAHC board of directors laying out the advantages and disadvantages of membership, for its information and discussion.

The CHI program director reported that, since the last board meeting, CHI has approved three new members (FUCVAM from Uruguay, Angkasa from Malaysia, and CUNABE from Chile), and that CHI now has a total of 23 members.

Country Update

Errum Sharif Bhaiji, Karachi Co-operative Housing Societies Union, Pakistan

• co-op city project has finally started
•  layout/planning is underway, and by end of 2017, the co-op city will start development
• the city will include housing, space for hospitals, parks and schools.

Mehmet Aksoy, TURKKENT, Turkey

•  because of terrorism and Syrian refugees, continue to struggle: more than 3 million refugees from Syria, many living in tents and small apartments
•  the government has spent more than $25 million on refugees so far
•  other countries are not keeping their promises around taking refugees
•  housing in Turkey is being destroyed by terrorists  government’s first aim is to rebuild the cities affected by terrorism
•  uncertain whether refugees are staying permanently, or going back home when/if the war is over – creates housing issues
•  current government doesn’t like co-operatives at all.
•  because of terrorism and Syrian refugees, continue to struggle: more than 3 million refugees from Syria, many living in tents and small apartments
•  the government has spent more than $25 million on refugees so far  other countries are not keeping their promises around taking refugees
•  housing in Turkey is being destroyed by terrorists
•  government’s first aim is to rebuild the cities affected by terrorism
•  uncertain whether refugees are staying permanently, or going back home when/if the war is over – creates housing issues
•  current government doesn’t like co-operatives at all.
•  other countries are not keeping their promises around taking refugees
•  housing in Turkey is being destroyed by terrorists
•  government’s first aim is to rebuild the cities affected by terrorism
•  uncertain whether refugees are staying permanently, or going back home when/if the war is over – creates housing issues
•  current government doesn’t like co-operatives at all.

Herbert Ludl, GDB, Austria

•  GDB has just celebrated its 70th anniversary
•  1,000,000th social housing dwelling occupied (in a country of 8 million people)
•  400,000 units of co-op housing in Austria.Guido Schwarzendahl, GdW, Germany
•  Germany took in 890,000 refugees from Syria in 2015, and another 200,000 so far in 2016
•  there’s been growth in right-wing political party support/anti-refugee position
•  lots of integration work has been done with refugees through education/schools, working together and in housing
•  need 400,000 new flats each year, of which 60,000 need to be for very low rents
•  aging stock is becoming an issue
•  competing housing need is an issue: age group over 80 will grow from 6% of the population to 8% in 10 years and require accessible flats; refugees are generally much younger than the general population.

Kieron Brennan, Co-operative Housing Ireland, Ireland

•  just finished their organizational review – changes will be rolled out in the next six months
•  homelessness is increasing in Ireland, with the majority being families
•  new minority government: good housing minister; if the government survives, he may be a contender for prime minister
•  refugees – Ireland not done its bit; promised to take a small number but hasn’t done it yet; Irish Red Cross is now taking responsibility to manage the refugee process and is co-ordinating with Co-operative Housing Ireland about housing.

Datuk Mohamed Ali Bin Hasan, ANGKASA, Malaysia

•  2016 and 2017 are years of affordable housing (private and public sector)
•  government putting emphasis on providing clean, affordable and accessible housing
•  government working to ensure 10% of housing is co-operative housing
•  focused on building a “co-op city” in each state; two designed which are very affordable for middle-income populations
•  5,000 co-op units have been requested this year
•  the ICA Global Congress will now be held November 14-17, 2017 in Malaysia
•  will include: the CHI board meeting and plenary; Asia/Pacific region co-op housing convention; co-op tours; and hopefully a co-op housing exhibition.

Nicholas Gazzard, CHF Canada, Canada

•  national housing strategy development under way
•  difficult since provinces have their own strategies
•  CHF Canada’s role is two-fold: ensure voice of affordable co-op housing heard in that strategy, and to serve as a resource about housing policy
•  in 2018, CHF Canada will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Guests also provided an update on their regions:

Linda Brockway, NAHC, United States

•  represent 88,000 housing co-ops; equity-based models
•  NAHC is trying to solidify their relationship with each member co-op.

Mauricio de la Barra, CUNABE, Chile

•  there are 460,000 families without housing
•  using public/private partnerships (PPPs) to work with families (financial workshops, design of housing, supervision of construction) to help families get housing
•  working with 7 banks in in Chile to assist families with financing
•  some subsidies available from government
•  constructing 2,000 homes in 2016, and another 2,500 homes to be built in 2017.David Rodgers, United Kingdom

•  the situation in the UK is similar to Ireland
•  Guidance Notes for housing co-ops to the ICA blueprint has been completed; an excellent tool for housing organizations
•  380,000 people live in his borough, ½ of his co-councillors are members of co-ops, but co-ops don’t feature in any policies
•  need to promote co-ops as an economic entity
•  official Council policy is to promote co-op enterprise of varying sorts within the borough.