Welcome to Cooperative Housing International’s video library. Here, you’ll find a curated collection of videos that highlight the impact of cooperative housing in building resilient, inclusive, and affordable communities around the world.

Through inspiring success stories, practical examples, and expert insights on governance and financing, these videos demonstrate how housing cooperatives contribute to both social and economic well-being.

Whether you’re a cooperative housing member, a policymaker, a researcher, or simply curious about community-driven housing solutions, our video library offers valuable knowledge and fresh perspectives.

To explore even more content, visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel. You’ll gain access to our full archive and stay updated on the latest cooperative housing developments.

Webinars

How to Start a Housing Cooperative

This webinar, recorded on January 9, 2020, provides a comprehensive overview of how to start a housing cooperative. In the session, Blase Lambert—Chief Officer of the Confederation of Co-operative Housing in the UK—walks viewers through the essential steps and key considerations involved in launching a cooperative housing project. This video serves as a valuable resource for anyone interested in creating community-owned and -managed housing, offering both strategic insight and practical guidance.

To begin, Lambert highlights the importance of clearly defining your cooperative’s purpose. This foundational step shapes every future decision, from governance structures to financial planning. He then moves on to discuss how to build and organize your core group, stressing the need for shared values, mutual trust, and complementary skills.

Next, the webinar outlines practical actions: selecting a cooperative model that aligns with your group’s goals, identifying potential financing options, and finding suitable properties. Lambert also addresses common challenges, including navigating regulatory frameworks and maintaining long-term member engagement.

Overall, this webinar offers a powerful blend of inspiration and actionable advice. Whether you’re in the early planning stages or looking to strengthen an existing initiative, this presentation provides the tools and insights needed to bring a housing cooperative vision to life.

Incorporating a Housing Cooperative

This video provides a clear and engaging overview of the many benefits of cooperative housing. It explains how this model empowers people to build stable, affordable, and community-focused living environments. Blase Lambert, Chief Officer of the Confederation of Co-operative Housing in the UK, walks viewers through the key steps for preparing a housing cooperative for incorporation.

You’ll gain insights into essential topics such as legal structures, taxation, policy development, governance, and financing. Whether you’re a housing advocate, policymaker, or someone exploring cooperative living, this video offers practical guidance and inspiration for anyone interested in community-led housing solutions.

Cooperative Housing Development – Thinking Outside the Box 

Across the globe, diverse groups are finding creative ways to finance cooperative housing. These innovative approaches didn’t happen in isolation. Instead, they emerged through collaboration, networking, and the formation of regional alliances. By pooling ideas and sharing experiences, these groups have developed practical strategies to move their housing projects forward.

This webinar brings together cooperators and project managers from Europe and beyond who are actively involved in developing cooperative and community-led housing. They will discuss their experiences with innovative financing models, highlight the value of building regional networks, and explore the specific challenges of creating housing cooperatives based on collective ownership—particularly in Central and Eastern Europe.

Leveraging Cooperative Housing Assets for Future Generations

Housing cooperatives uniquely leverage their assets to benefit both current and future members, as well as their communities. In this session, we will explore various cooperative models from Canada, Germany, and the USA that effectively manage assets to expand access to cooperative housing. By sharing these examples, we aim to demonstrate how co-op asset management serves as a powerful tool for social change—an essential value embedded in every cooperative’s mission.

Member Forums

Financing Cooperative Housing Development

Securing funds for cooperative and community housing has become increasingly difficult over recent decades. This challenge arises from both housing market dynamics and a reduction in government support for cooperative housing as a public policy priority. Consequently, creating cooperative housing that remains affordable for members is more complicated than ever.

To address this, cooperative housing organizations and policymakers are exploring alternative strategies, as relying solely on traditional funding sources is now nearly impossible. In this member forum, we showcase innovative funding solutions that have emerged to tackle these capital challenges.

We invited experts from England, Canada, and Catalonia to discuss the methods they use to successfully develop housing cooperatives.

For more insights, visit our webinar playlist on our YouTube channel.

Student Housing Cooperatives

In this informal webinar, student housing cooperatives from several countries come together to foster solidarity, connect with peers, exchange ideas, and build a supportive international network. Participants include Student Coop Homes (UK), Studentendorf (Berlin), Budapest Housing (Hungary), Collegium Academicum (Heidelberg, Germany), Berkeley Student Coop (California), and the North American Students for Cooperation (NASCO) representing the USA and Canada.

Throughout the discussion, participants explore key topics such as cooperative governance, community building, sustainable living practices, and the unique challenges faced by student housing cooperatives. By sharing experiences and strategies, these groups aim to strengthen their connections, promote unity, and inspire collective action.

Ultimately, this collaborative exchange highlights the value of learning from each other’s successes and setbacks. Together, these cooperatives are working to create more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient student communities worldwide.

Benefits of Cooperative Housing

This introductory video explains the key advantages of living in a housing cooperative. Co-ops are democratic organizations, controlled by their members, who take an active role in setting policies and making important decisions. Importantly, housing co-ops welcome people from diverse cultural backgrounds, income levels, and walks of life. They offer more than just a place to live—they foster inclusive, community-led living environments.

Watch the video to learn more about how cooperative housing supports affordability, empowerment, and a strong sense of belonging.

Furthermore, you can watch the full playlist of 11 videos in three languages (English, French and Spanish) on our YouTube channel.

Podcasts

Coop Conversations is a podcast series produced by Co-operative Housing International. Through engaging interviews with co-op leaders and experts from around the world, listeners gain valuable insights into the unique nature of cooperative living and why housing co-ops offer more than just a place to live—they foster community, equity, and long-term affordability.

You can stream Coop Conversations on most major podcast platforms or watch video versions on our YouTube channel. Below are highlights from featured episodes in the playlist.

Housing Cooperatives on Leased Land

In this episode, we speak with Thom Armstrong, CEO of the Co-operative Housing Federation of British Columbia, Canada. With over 30 years in the cooperative housing sector, Thom also leads COHO Management Services Society and the Community Land Trust group of societies. In addition, he chairs the board of Encasa Financial Inc., which manages over $500 million in investments for Canada’s social housing sector.

Joining the conversation is Blase Lambert, Treasurer of Cooperative Housing International and CEO of the UK’s Confederation of Co-operative Housing. Blase also sits on the Board of the Co-operative Housing Finance Society, co-founded Community Led Homes, and serves as Treasurer of Leicester Vaughan College.

Together, Thom and Blase discuss the pros and cons of operating housing cooperatives on leased land. They examine the pressures co-ops face as cities push to increase density and how the community land trust model provides an effective solution. This model not only protects co-op communities but also enables long-term partnerships with local governments to lease land and develop much-needed affordable housing.

Resident-Owned Manufactured Cooperative Homes

In this episode, we speak with Paul Bradley, former CEO of ROC USA, and Kristi Peterman, a resident and board member at Liberty Landing Cooperative. ROC USA is a nonprofit organization that helps residents of manufactured home parks purchase the land beneath their homes—turning renters into collective landowners.

Liberty Landing, located in Liberty, Missouri (a suburb of Kansas City), is one such success story. Paul and Kristi walk us through how residents came together to buy their community, securing long-term affordability and stability for current and future generations.