I found the solution to the housing crisis on Winona. I was walking on Eglinton on a cold, windy day. The rain was blowing in my face. I arrived at the building on Winona but the front doors were locked. An older man arrived at the same time.
He asked me in a German accent, who I was looking for. I said the superintendent. He let me in and led me through the pristine lobby. It smelled nice. “What a beautiful building!” I said. The man didn’t say anything. He probably thought I was a bit strange. He led me through the shiny marble-like lobby, past the elevators, towards the back of the building to speak with the super. Sunshine was pouring in, even back here near the loading area.
It’s the Winona Housing Cooperative, a seniors non-profit cooperative. There are no tenants here. Only members of the co-op. Together, they own the building. They pay for the cost of operating it, not market rents. They make decisions together. They share work and chores. Compared to most private and public housing, the Winona Housing Co-op looks like Shangri-La.
So, why aren’t we building co-ops everywhere in this time of housing crisis? Because it requires government funding to get started. Consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments cut funding to co-ops about 25 years ago. Developers were given the keys to the city. That’s not to say there are no co-op plans today.
The City plans to build 612 new co-op units in Scarborough. With over 85,000 applications for social housing in the city last year, this is a proverbial drop in the bucket. Over at the Winona Housing Co-op, the wait list is closed because it’s too long.
Torontonians’ search for Shangri-La continues when it comes to housing, even though the answer is pretty clear. Just support a lot more co-ops like the one at Winona.
