WE HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR WELL OVER 30 YEARS OF ABSOLUTELY SPLENDID FAMILY LIVES...AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE AROUND FOR A VERY LONG TIME TO COME.... - If you would like to apply to Lamplight, please address all inquiries to the Community Housing Management Network, at [email protected] or by phone at 855-843-5432. Please specify that you are enquiring about Lamplight Housing Cooperative. A Hi
story of Lamplight Housing COOP
In the fall of 1979, Susan Mayo called an open meeting of people interested in forming a CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation)-sponsored Housing Co-operative. The intention was to try to purchase six houses, which were for sale in the city block bounded by South Park, Spring Garden Road, Brenton Street and Clyde Street. One of the properties was the old Lamplight Lodge (corner of South Park and Brenton Place) from which the group took the name of the Co-operative. Interfaith Housing, a non-profit service group sponsored by several churches in Halifax, was brought into the project early to offer guidance and advice (the same group became Access Housing, later). Rob McLaren and Jim Duke were our liaisons with that organization, and Elaine Kent-Evans was director of the CMHC branch concerned. Co-ops had already been formed on the Peninsula, starting a trend (out of necessity) toward buying older homes in the city and rehabilitating them, instead of starting Co-ops and building new units from scratch, which, in other parts of Canada, was the usual pattern. The proposal which was presented to CMHC stated that we wanted to buy older homes not only because they were available, but also because we were concerned that the heritage of the city be preserved. So, ours was to be a “Re-hab” style co-op. The start-up funding was granted to us from CMHC, half of which was an outright grant with the other half to be repaid through extra careful “Best-Buy”. Although those six houses seemed ideal, it was hard going actually getting to the point of sealing the deal. We prepared our strategy at a meeting Elaine Kent-Evans of CMHC attended. We had a Board of Directors already (Wilson F**t, President; Judith Smith-Lamothe, Vice-President; Judith R. Mathews, Secretary; Catherine Christie, Treasurer; Peggy O’Harra and Lawrence Tummon, Directors). We even had a report from the Selection Committee. We put on quite a show of organization and Kent-Evans went away impressed with our improvement. But these properties got away from us and we had to begin the long and tedious process of tramping through seemingly endless houses in the South End searching for suitably priced buildings. Members of the Selection Committee: Wilson F**t, Lawrence Tummon, Susan Mayo, and I must have walked through a fair percentage of all houses for sale in the South End. One real estate agent, in particular Mike McTague, showed us many places and he suggested that we approach the owner of 920 South Bland St. (who was landlord to Judith and me at the time) as sometimes people will sell if contacted. McTague made the call and they offered to sell. The offers flew back and forth and we agreed to $49,000.00. CMHC sent out their inspectors and, although one room upstairs was really “too small” to count as a bedroom, they looked the other way—we were suddenly buying our first property! Meanwhile, we’d spotted another place at 1185 South Park St. We moved on it right away and struck a deal at $110,000.00. We next purchased the Preston Street house for $79,000.00. It was then a four-apartment house, but the basement apartment did not meet CMHC criteria. Even so, as a three-apartment house, the price was right. Its street number, 1749, was the date of the founding of Halifax, and it seemed a good sign.
5520 Victoria Road was our next purchase, and it was located in-between our South Bland house and the South Park house. The aluminum siding hides the fact that the building is stucco and brick, and probably dates back to Confederation. It had been completely remodeled on the inside and has a wonderful south-facing backyard. Our next house fulfilled the “within walking distance” criteria by being around the corner from Preston Street—6069 Pepperell Street. With its three units, we brought our total of apartments up to 15. Our agreement with CMHC allowed only 16, and we still had members un-housed. We successfully petitioned CMHC to increase our quota to 25 units. We next put in offers to buy the house on the corner of Lucknow and Victoria Road (south-west corner) and, at the same time, 5535-5539 Inglis Street. The total number of units, if purchased, would have fulfilled our 25-unit quota. Both buildings were expensive according to the CMHC guidelines. But a compromise was reached—we could have Inglis Street, but not the other! With the purchase of Inglis Street house, the list of un-housed members shrank. Lamplight saw two new Presidents: Judith Mathews and Catherine MacDonald. But there were always a few people who were still looking for our “final” house. Several times the membership had to vote whether or not to continue searching; we set deadlines, etc. We had a flurry of activity over a house on Larch Street, which eventually led nowhere. Finally, the house on North Street was “discovered”. Even though it was across the “border” of Quinpool Road (which had always been our Rubicon before), it was felt that it was “within walking distance” of the Preston/Pepperell houses, so it could be considered seriously. And we did end up including it as our seventh house. We live in an exceptionally mobile society where many do not retain the same address for more than five years. Most of the original group have moved out of the Co-op—either buying their own houses, or simply moving away from Halifax. I can imagine some returning to Halifax now or in the future and looking with pride at the little organization which grew from those living room meetings at 1469 South Park and now owns and maintains 24 units in some of the most desirable locations in the city. Lamplight Co-op has grown from a small core group which was unsure of itself and constantly riding waves of pessimism or optimism to a co-operative community of 24 households who have chosen to stand together against the outrageous demands of open-market rents. We Can look after our own housing. We are fulfilling the “Lamplight dream”.
*LAMPLIGHT….THE DREAM BEGINS…HERE…
