We own three beautiful homes, with five people living in each. Each member has a private room, shared bathrooms and shared common spaces such as the kitchen and living room.The houses are furnished, except for the rooms. though some bedroom furniture may be available if needed.
All our homes are in wonderful central locations (Strathcona, University) close to transit, the river valley and amenities. Each house also has a yard with a garden and firepit.
Each house has its own vibes and personality, and every member contributes to making it feel like a home. Some of the things our members like to do include: shared meals, movie nights, playing music, board games, growing and making food (preserves, baking bread, brewing beer, etc).
Every housemate becomes a member and part-owner of our Co-op.
As a member you are also a part of co-creating our safe, fun and affordable housing community. This is more than a roommate situation- we live together and make decisions about our homes together. To help keep things running, all our members must contribute a minimum of 5 hours/month to help with the task of running the co-op and maintaining the houses. Everyone sits on a committee and is expected to attend meetings and sign-up to work on co-op tasks as a team or as individuals. Tasks can include:
Administrative - such as responding to emails, taking minutes, budgeting and bookkeeping, policy writing.
Maintenance - painting, minor repairs, contacting contractors.
Social - organizing events for members, posting on social media, recruiting new members
Co-op tasks as described above are in addition to regular house chores and cooking shared meals etc. As members we *are* the Coop, so without our individual and collective efforts we wouldn’t have such beautiful homes to live in. We’re looking for people who are keen to participate!
This is an amazing opportunity for someone who:
Wants to live with others in an intentional community
Is looking for more control over their living space
Wants to find somewhere stable to settle for more than a year (and hopefully longer!)
We are looking for mature and independent housemates who are open to learning/sharing skills and taking initiative to benefit our collective living experience. Our current members are mid-20s to early 60s, but we welcome members of all ages.
We are looking for members who are self-aware and are able to (or actively learning to) communicate their boundaries in a mindful, mature and productive way. Good communication is essential for healthy communal-living! We value folks who are committed to creating a safe home for themselves and their housemates. We welcome LGBTQ2S+ humans, but unfortunately our homes are not wheelchair accessible.
You must be able to:
Commit to at least a year (provided you like it)
Be comfortable with cooking meals for a group and accommodating dietary requirements
Participate in household chores, co-op tasks and meetings.
The monthly housing charge for the co-op is $375-$415 per month (depending on the room).
Utilities are not included and are usually an additional $80-110/ month.
Each house may have additional funds that members are expected to contribute to, for example for shared food or buying items for the house.
Each house has its own system for household management that all members are expected to participate in. The house systems may include:
Cooking meals and grocery shopping
Regular cleaning and yard maintenance chores
Paying utilities and other house expenses
In general, ACHC does not allow pets.
Smoking is not permitted inside any of our homes.
There is some, limited, storage space for personal items at each of the houses.
Street parking is available at all our homes. There is some outdoor parking available on the properties as well.
It takes time and we have a prospective member period that gives you an opportunity to learn to be a co-op member. There is no landlord to call when the plumbing bursts, but there is no landlord that is going to sell your home!