New co-op homes open in Kingston, Ontario

Published September 26, 2024

Thirty-eight new co-op homes are now open in Kingston, Ontario. On September 18, Kingston Co-operative Homes celebrated the opening of a new three-story building and welcomed 38 new households as members.

This project is an exciting example of how co-op housing communities are creating new homes and doing their part to address the housing crisis.  It is also an example of how partnerships make co-op expansions possible. CHF Canada supported the opening celebration event, bringing together members of the co-op, government representatives and other project partners to celebrate this milestone.

Kingston Co-operative Homes’ story of growth and expansion

Since opening in 1985, Kingston Co-operative Homes had expanded twice, adding eight one-bedroom units in each expansion. When the City of Kingston acquired a vacant parcel of land next to the co-op, Kingston Co-operative Homes put forward a proposal to expand and add new affordable co-operative homes. Seven years ago, they put their experience in development to work, and embarked on their third expansion project: a new 38-unit building with accessibility and energy efficiency features, and a shared community space. Now, the co-operative has grown from an original 86 homes to 141.

“We’re thrilled to open these new homes and welcome new members to our co-op community. We know that so many people in the City of Kingston are in urgent need of affordable, secure housing. We are pleased to be part of the solution,” shared Dirk de Boer, President of Kingston Co-operative Homes.

New co-op homes through partnerships

The project was made possible with financial support from multiple partners, access to land from the City of Kingston, and a significant investment of $1.4 million from the co-op itself. Financial support included $9.4 million in grants and loans from the federal government, $700,000 from the Province of Ontario and $4.2 million from the City of Kingston.

Equally important in realizing the project was the support of community housing sector organizations, including New Commons Development, the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, the Community Housing Management Network and The Affordable Rental Centre for Housing, as well as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund.

The co-op housing sector is ready to build

From new builds to expansions to acquisitions, there is growing momentum for co-operative housing development. CHF Canada is ready to support member-led development: if you are part of a co-op exploring a growth and development project, visit our development support page for resources and an intake form.