Becoming landlords: the changing interests of non-profit and co-operative housing providers in Manitoba, Canada

Les organismes d’habitation au Québec vivent la fin des ententes de subventions fédérales : une adaptabilité sans renouvellement ?

“…In other words, protecting an organization's mission when faced with the loss of subsidy requires imposing some losses on the organization's clients. Yet, imposing these losses erodes the core goal of providing shelter and moves organizations toward simply "becoming landlords" (Cooper, 2022). There are solutions that do not follow this path, such as negotiating with senior levels of government for supplementary assistance or new funding.…”

“…The people in the association when the typical 35-year agreements come due are likely not the same ones who signed those agreements in the 1970s and 1980s. In choosing how to respond to the end of the subsidies, the members of these associations must consider their ability to sustain the organization over similarly long periods (Cooper, 2022). The loss of certainty and predictability provided by the longterm operating agreements is likely to affect the calculus about the desirability of different responses to the loss of funding.…”

Neoliberalism and vulnerability in social housing

“…Social housing organizations are therefore now required to restructure and adapt to this financial blow. In keeping with neoliberal trends and because of new funding regimes, providers may shift priorities from providing housing to maintaining the stability and performance of the organization itself (Cooper, 2022). While there have recently been new social housing developments, it is crucial to remember that “in the neoliberal context, social abandonment and economic investment may persist side by side” (Willse, 2010, p. 155).…”

Center renters: Tenant epistemologies as research strategy

“…One in three Canadian households rent their home, consistently accounting for around one-half of Canadian households spending over 30% of income on shelter costs (Statistics Canada, 2011, 2022. Regardless, hard luck stories of prospective homebuyers squeezed out by rising prices and interest rates still make better copy than those of the ever-expanding ranks of renters.…”

“…For example, the single largest dollar item in the NHS is the Rental Construction Financing Initiative (RCFI), providing minimum $1 million loans to rental housing developers. While the RCFI is open to non-profits, there are serious restrictions on them, with many housing nonprofits already struggling as current operating agreements supporting earlier affordable housing initiatives, both federal and provincial, come to an end (Cooper, 2022). At base, the RCFI incentivizes for-profit rental provision, in particular.…”