I asked Mark Goldblatt (in Ottawa), a consultant in the development of
co-operatives, to describe a project of potential interest to people in this
network, following the questions on health promotion and housing.

The focus is on converting government-owned and controlled public housing to
tenant-controlled co-operative housing.  A direct result will be to increase
people's control over their environment and, in turn, over their health.

After presentations by Mark in Edmonton in March, we are beginning to
explore implementing the model here.  There are also people working with
this idea in Nova Scotia.

If you want more information about the model to plant the idea in your
community, Mark's e-mail address is [log in to unmask]

*************

With respect to health promoting strategies in low income public housing I
would like to share a brief description of a project I am working on that
involves the conversion of a public housing project to a non-profit housing
co-operative controlled by the project's residents.

The name of the project is Alexandra Park located in downtown Toronto. It
consists of 410 units, a mixture of townhouses and two seven floor apartment
buildings. The project opened in 1968. It is 100% targeted to low income
households all of whom receive a monthly government subsidy to help pay
their rent. The project is owned by the Ontario Housing Corporation, (a
provincial crown corporation), and managed by the Metro Toronto Housing
Authority, (a public body).

In spring 1998, at the request of the tenants association, the Ontario
government agreed to allow the project to convert to a non-profit housing
co-operative. The co-operative will be known as the Atkinson Housing
Co-operative Inc. named after the tenants association's long time president,
Sonny Atkinson, who passed away at the end of 1996.

The Co-op's conversion business plan states that after the Co-op takes over
responsibility for managing the project, all units will continue to be
targeted to low income households.  In fact residents will pay the exact
same rent after the co-op
conversion as they have paid in the past. The tenants' entire motivation in
supporting the co-op conversion is to improve their community's quality of
life by having residents take over control of all management functions.

When the Ontario government approved the co-op conversion they insisted on a
gradual transfer of managment powers from the government to the co-op. This
process is now underway and long term co-op operations are expected to
kick in July 1, 2000. One of the goals of the tenants is to use the Co-op as
a platform to develop services and programs of benefit to the community in
addition to their housing needs. This includes the social and health needs
of the community.

There are 200,000 units of public housing similar to Alexandra Park across
Canada. As Canada's first co-op conversion of traditional public housing,
the potential health gains will be of interest across the country.

Mark Goldblatt
[log in to unmask]

****************

via Ann (related and slightly biased) Goldblatt
Capital Health., Edmonton