Welcome to Heritage Co-op

Thank you for your interest in Heritage Housing Co-operative. We are situated on the corner of West 8th Avenue and Heather Street in Vancouver. We are close to Broadway, Cambie and Oak streets, convenient for shopping and bus services, with several parks and the Seawall just minutes away. The local English language schools are False Creek Elementary School and Kitsilano Secondary School. L’Ecole Bilingue, for French Immersion, is also nearby.

Members are required to participate by attending monthly general meetings, by becoming active on one or more committees and by taking their turn on the cleaning rotation of the community areas.

Co-operative housing is an alternative to buying, not an alternative to renting. We all own and operate the Co-op. The members of Heritage take pride in our strong sense of community. We work collectively to maintain a well-managed, caring housing co-operative. Beyond the requirements, we are a community in tune with the needs of its members and lend a helping-hand whenever and wherever needed.

Desirable co-op members are those who go beyond the required hours of commitment, thus both accepting the responsibilities of maintaining our environment as well as enjoying the benefits of living in an exceptional community.

Mission

Heritage Housing Co-operative’s Mission is to sustain our democratically-operated, non-profit, inclusive and affordable cooperative community in perpetuity.

Vision

Heritage Housing Co-operative seeks to be an inspirational model of a self-governing, inclusive, sustainable community that provides an affordable, safe, secure home for all its members — people of diverse origins, orientations, incomes and experiences.

Values

  • Sustainability: The core value on which all others rest. providing a stable basis for the continuation of our co-operative home. Our values continue, despite changes in the world around us.
  • Community: a village of equals, making decisions for the mutual benefit of all.
  • Respect: for all, regardless of sex, gender, income, religion or other groupings that can divide people.
  • Trust: in each other, because members have faith in other members in this kind of community.
  • Democracy: established decision-making and difference-resolving processes, in which all members have a voice.
  • Empathy: for the positions, needs, views, etc. of our neighbours.
  • Affordability: Supports the entire community — vulnerable members particularly — to live a full life in this increasingly expensive city.
  • Security of Tenure: Members collectively own the co-op; not renters subject to a landlord’s eviction.
  • Safety: sense of well-being and welcome.
  • Diversity: Heterogeneous mix — of ages (seniors, youth, children), cultures, genders, singles, families, incomes, etc. — underpinning community health.
  • Connectedness: Social meaning, crucial to long-term societal health.
  • Cooperation: Consensus-driven, as much as possible, both in tasks and governance.
  • Participation: Members voluntarily sacrifice autonomy and financial equity in favour of community life.

Co-op Info

Heritage Housing Co-operative includes 41 units on two sites:

  • Site 1 (717 West 8th Ave) – 36 units, as a mix of 1, 2, and 3-bedroom units

  • Site 2 (728 West 8th Ave) – 5 units, including one studio and four 1-bedroom units

Each unit has:

  • A refrigerator and a stove

  • One bathroom (many larger units have two bathrooms)

  • Washer and dryer hook-ups in some 2 bedroom and all 3 bedroom units

  • Street parking is available, with some areas designated permit-only parking.

  • Each unit at 717 W. 8th is allotted a small storage space

  • Common areas of the co-op include a community meeting room, laundry room (coin operated with two washers and two dryers) children’s play area, flower beds, and grass borders

  • Heritage Housing Cooperative is a non-smoking community

  • Pets are welcome (maximum of 2 per unit)

  • Staff: We have a part-time office co-ordinator and an off-site maintenance coordinator