Housing in British Columbia is notoriously expensive, causing a crisis for low-income folks in the province. Those in the 2SLGBTQIA+ are hit particularly hard.
To help provide welcoming, stable housing for this community, we recently helped a group of 2SLGBTQIA+ folks and allies to incorporate the Serenity Housing Cooperative.
Research shows that 40 percent of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth run away from home due to parental abuse or are thrown out after the youth comes out; a Community Housing Canada report showed that 17.7 percent of gay males and 16 percent of lesbians experience housing discrimination. According to the Trans Pulse ‘Housing Barriers among Trans and Non-Binary Adults in Canada’ report, 50 percent of gender-diverse folks experience discrimination in obtaining housing, and 53 percent of non-binary folks are homeless or in precarious housing.
Members of the Serenity Housing Cooperative are people who want to live interdependently in an eco-friendly, affordable, tiny home community that provides a safe, supportive environment for 2SLGBTQIA+ residents.
Now that it’s incorporated, the co-op’s goals are to raise money to purchase land, build and repair tiny homes where members can live, and create a plan to make the housing co-op accessible to all income levels. It also plans to be as off-grid as possible.
“The co-operative application process can be confusing and daunting to approach, but [Co-operatives First] was able to help us simplify the process,” a representative of the co-op said. “They also helped us submit the actual application…and we became an official co-op as of March 2023.”
We’re so proud to be able to help incorporate amazing co-operatives like Serenity Housing Co-op!