| Home Co-op Talk Login Français Contact us Site map Links Aa Aa |

![]() CHF Canada is grateful to the Co‑operative Housing Federation of Toronto for allowing us to borrow from Words, Words, Words: The Co‑op Housing Dictionary. We also thank the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association for letting us draw on their website glossary. Scroll down to browse the glossary, or use the alphabetical index to jump directly to the section you want. F FCHE — See Fédération Coop-Habitat Estrie. FCHP — See Federal Co‑operative Housing Program. FÉCHAM — See Fédération des coopératives d'habitation montérégiennes. FÉCHAQC — See Fédération des coopératives d'habitation de Québec Chaudière-Appalaches. FÉCHAS — See Fédération des coopératives d'habitation du Royaume-Saguenay-Lac St-Jean. FÉCHIMM — See Fédération des coopératives d'habitation intermunicipale du Montréal métropolitain. FÉCHMACQ — See Fédération des coopératives d’habitation de la Mauricie et du Centre-du-Québec. FÉCHO — See Fédération des coopératives d'habitation de l'Outaouais. federal assistance — Money paid to a federal co‑op under the terms of its operating agreement. These funds help the co‑op pay its mortgage or help lower-income members pay their housing charge. See also income-tested assistance, interest reduction grant, predetermined assistance and subsidy. federal co‑op — A housing co‑op developed using a housing program of the federal government under the National Housing Act. The three federal co‑op housing programs are the Section 61 Program, the Section 95 Program and the Federal Co‑operative Housing Program (ILM program). Federal co‑ops were also developed under the Student Housing Program and the Innovative Housing Fund (1970). Federal Co‑operative Housing Program (FCHP) — A federal government program that provided insured financing and operating subsidies for 30 to 35 years to non-profit housing co‑ops funded with index-linked mortgages. It ran from 1986 to 1991. The FCHP is often called the ILM (index-linked mortgage) Program. Today, there are more than 15,000 co‑op units under this program. federal co‑operative housing programs — See Federal Co‑operative Housing Program, Section 61 (34.18) Program and Section 95 (56.1) Program. Federal Co‑operative Housing Stabilization Fund — A trust funded through fees paid by Federal Co‑op Housing Program co‑ops from their capital budgets. A co‑op with severe, short-term difficulties can apply to the fund for a loan. Co‑ops that get this help must report regularly to the fund and meet the loan conditions it sets. Federal/Provincial Housing Program — A housing program that funded the development of not-for-profit housing from 1986 to 1993. The two levels of government shared the cost of the program. In BC, Quebec, PEI and Ontario, the program also funded co‑ops. federation — An association of co‑operatives at the local or regional level. Federations offer such services as group buying, training, lobbying and networking. Canada has co‑op housing federations in 18 regions. The Co‑operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) is the national federation. Fédération Coop-Habitat Estrie (FCHE) — The federation of housing co‑operatives in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Fédération des coopératives d’habitation de la Mauricie et du Centre-du-Québec (FÉCHMACQ) — The federation of housing co‑operatives in central Quebec between Montreal and Quebec City, including the cities of Trois-Rivières and Drummondville, and the area north of Drummondville. Fédération des coopératives d'habitation intermunicipale du Montréal métropolitain (FÉCHIMM) — The federation of housing co‑operatives in metropolitan Montreal. Fédération des coopératives d'habitation montérégiennes (FÉCHAM) — The federation of housing co‑operatives in the Montérégie area, south of Montreal. Fédération des coopératives d'habitation de l'Outaouais (FÉCHO) — The federation of housing co‑operatives in West Quebec. Fédération des coopératives d'habitation de Québec Chaudière-Appalaches (FÉCHAQC) — The federation of housing co‑operatives in Quebec City and Chaudière-Appalaches. Fédération des coopératives d'habitation du Royaume-Saguenay-Lac St-Jean (FÉCHAS) — The federation of housing co‑operatives in the Saguenay/Lac St-Jean region of Quebec. F/P Program — See Federal/Provincial Housing Program. G Golden Horseshoe Co‑operative Housing Federation — The federation of housing co‑operatives in the Niagara Peninsula and Hamilton area, including Dundas, Burlington, St. Catharines and Welland. GLOBE (Green Light on a Better Environment) - The seperate corporation set up by the Social Housing Services Corporation to support conservation in the social housing sector. All Ontario co‑ops are able to take part in GLOBE programs. H high need — The way the Ontario Social Housing Reform Act refers to a household with an income of no more than twice the median market rent in its community. "High need" replaces the term "deep need" used in earlier Ontario programs. See also household income limits. HILs — See household income limits. Homes BC — A British Columbia non-profit and co‑operative housing program that began in 1993. Renamed the Provincial Housing Program, it continues to fund some development. The British Columbia Housing Management Commission administers it. Homes Now — This Ontario provincial program existed from 1988 to 1995, funding nearly 8,900 co‑op homes. The Social Housing Reform Act (2000) cancelled the operating agreements of Homes Now co‑ops, set new program rules and gave the administration over to service managers. honorary life associate — The honour awarded to people who have given long and valuable service to CHF Canada. housing administrator — See portfolio management officer. housing charge — The monthly charge set by a co‑op to recover each unit’s share of the co‑op’s operating expenses and mortgage payments. This payment gives the household the right to live in a co‑op unit, as long as it abides by the co‑op’s by-laws. Also called an “occupancy charge." household income limits (HILs) — The minimum income a household needs if it is to spend no more than 30% of its income on the median rent in a market area. HILs are set using CMHC's rental-market surveys. In some co‑op housing programs, only households with incomes below the HILs may get an RGI subsidy. human rights code — A provincial law that protects people's right of equal access to housing, services and jobs. I ICA — See International Co‑operative Alliance. ILM — See index-linked mortgage. income verification — Co‑op members who receive rent-geared-to-income (RGI) assistance must give periodic proof of their income. Under some programs members with higher incomes must pay a surcharge, and so must also tell the co‑op their income. The co‑op uses the income information to
income-tested assistance (ITA) — The way Section 95 (56.1) co‑ops refer to the money CMHC gives them to reduce the housing charges of low-income households. index-linked mortgage (ILM) — A type of mortgage loan in which the monthly payment goes up or down each year as the Consumer Price Index changes. Co‑ops under the Federal Co‑operative Housing Program have index-linked mortgages. CHF Canada provides the ILM adjustment factors as a service to FCHP (ILM) co‑ops. indexed benchmark costs - A part of the formula SHRA co‑ops use in calculating operating subsidy. The previous year's benchmark costs are inflated by an index set by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to arrive at the indexed benchmark costs. indexed benchmark rent - The way the funding model in the Social Housing Reform Act refers to the highest rent (housing-charge) level to which the service manager will pay a rent-geared-to-income subsidy. In the formula that is used to calculate operating subsidy, the same term is also used for the product of a SHRA co‑op's benchmark rents, multiplied by an annual inflation factor (the market rent index). indexed benchmark revenue - The total of the indexed benchmark rent and the benchmark non-rental revenue minus the indexed benchmark vacancy loss. It is used by SHRA co‑ops in the annual operating subsidy calculation. interest-reduction grant — The way some Section 95 (56.1) Program co‑ops refer to the subsidy they get to help them with their mortgage. See also predetermined assistance. International Co‑operative Alliance (ICA) — The world body of co‑operatives. The ICA has promoted co‑operative development and co‑operation among co‑operatives since 1895. See also Co‑operative Principles. ITA — See income-tested assistance. J Jim MacDonald Award for Social Change — A CHF Canada award named for Jim MacDonald, a pioneer of the Canadian co‑operative housing movement. The award honours housing co‑ops for special work in
Jobs Ontario Homes Program (JoHomes) — An Ontario provincial housing program announced in 1992. Today, there are about 1,500 co‑op units under this program. In June 1995 the government ended the program, cancelling 385 planned co‑op and non-profit projects (about 17,000 units). The Social Housing Reform Act (2000) cancelled the operating agreements of JoHomes co‑ops, set new program rules and gave the administration over to service managers. JoHomes — See Jobs Ontario Homes Program. joint workout — A workout for an FCHP co‑op in financial difficulty where both the Stabilization Fund and CMHC or a province lend the co‑op new funds. K L Lakeridge Co‑operative Housing Federation (LCHF) — The federation of housing co‑operatives just east of Toronto. Its area includes Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa and Peterborough. land trust — A non-profit organization created for common benefit to own or control land mainly occupied by housing co‑ops or other non-profit housing. LCHF — See Lakeridge Co‑operative Housing Federation. LEM — See low end of market. LHA — See local housing authority. LHC — See local housing corporation. local housing authority (LHA) — A local body that administered public housing and other rent-geared-to-income units for the Ontario Housing Corporation (OHC). On January 1, 2001, the assets controlled by the 54 LHAs passed to 47 local housing corporations. local housing corporation (LHC) — A local body in Ontario created to own and operate the former public housing assets of Ontario Housing Corporation. LHCs are wholly owned by municipalities. local rules — Program rules that SHRA in Ontario lets service managers set for co‑ops and other housing providers in their area. The rules may deal with matters such as priority for RGI subsidy and the number of bedrooms a subsidized household qualifies for. local services realignment (LSR) — The exchange of powers and duties that took place between the Ontario government and municipalities. For example, education funding moved to the province and social-housing funding moved to the service managers. Loi sur les coopératives — The provincial law governing housing and other provincially incorporated co‑ops in Quebec. low end of market (LEM) — Rent at the lower end of the range of rents that private landlords are charging for similar housing in the same area. LSR — See local services realignment. |
Glossary F-L ![]() |