The examples I was going to talk about are broader than just housing. Maybe my colleague can talk more about housing.
One of the things we did learn in our study is that any time people are involved in being able to direct their services and the solutions to their needs, it's a better solution. I like what you talked about in Quebec, that there was an anti-poverty movement, that poor people and organizations concerned about poverty were involved in describing what the solution should be. That's what you get when you have a co-op that is owned by the members. They have some involvement.
One of the examples I was going to use involves a retail store in Winnipeg, which is an aboriginal worker co-op. They operate a retail store in the inner city of Winnipeg. It's a neighbourhood with a large aboriginal population and high rates of poverty and homelessness. The workers provide a grocery store for people where there isn't a store--we know about what are called food deserts. They promote healthy living and foods that will help with the incidence of diabetes in the aboriginal population. People are members of that store, and they feel a great sense of connection, more of a connection than with another kind of store.
The Common Ground Co-op in Toronto is a non-profit co-op that was formed in 1990. It has over 100 members, half of whom are parents of children with developmental disabilities. The co-op creates long-term employment for people with disabilities. It promotes the development of entrepreneurial skills, and it educates people. They operate a catering business under the name of Lemon & Allspice Cookery and several coffee bars. Those people are involved in the day-to-day running of those businesses, and they get a say in what is going on.
The Multicultural Health Brokers in Edmonton is a worker co-op that assists recent immigrants in getting access to health services. They are the intermediary between the services where people may not speak the appropriate languages and understand the culture. There are 30 members who speak over 15 languages, and they are the brokers.
Those are examples of where a cooperative and membership and involvement and having some say make a difference.