Applying for membership & housing – Page 3 – Woodsworth Housing Co-operative

Membership criteria

Woodsworth’s membership bylaw defines a member as a person who has completed the co-operative’s membership process, has been accepted for membership by the Board of Directors, and has signed an occupancy agreement.

Membership criteria:
Applicants for membership in the co-operative must meet the following standards:
(a) At least one member of the household is aged 16 years or older

(b) The household‘s credit and rental history together with other financial information can give the co-operative reasonable grounds to believe the household will pay the housing charge.

Applicants should have:
(a) An understanding of co-operative principles and member participation

(b) A positive attitude towards living in a community with people from different social, economic and cultural backgrounds and have a commitment to treating other members with respect

(d) A willingness to accept their responsibilities as co-operative members

(e) Indication of permanency or long-term commitment to the co-operative

Non-discrimination
In assessing applications for membership, the co-operative will comply with the Ontario Human Rights Code and will not discriminate against anyone in a way that is prohibited by the Ontario Human Rights Code.

The Human Rights Code prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of age, ancestry, colour, race, citizenship, ethnic origin, place of origin, creed, disability, family status, marital status (including single status), gender identity, gender expression, receipt of public assistance, sex, or sexual orientation.

The co-operative will take all reasonable steps to adjust any restriction, qualification or factor in the co-operative’s operations that results in indirect discrimination contrary to the Human Rights Code.

Source: Membership Bylaw #84: member approval and unit allocation

External waiting lists: your first unit in Woodsworth

To get on Woodsworth’s external waiting list, you must attend an information session. These are held irregularly and infrequently.

However we do not anticipate opening our waiting list in the near future. Our external waiting list is full.

When an info session is scheduled (i.e. when the external waiting list opens), Woodsworth announces it to members through our Weekly newsletter so they can inform family and friends. We publish it on this website. We notify the Co-op Housing Federation of Toronto and they publicize it on their website.

New members moving into the co-op have gone through the membership process as outlined in the Membership Bylaw #84. They have attended the info session, been interviewed by the Membership Committee, and been approved for membership by the Board of Directors.

Units are offered through the waiting lists. External members are offered a unit based on their position on the External Waiting List. Woodsworth staff manage waiting lists, allocating units, and move-ins.

Your place on the waiting list:

External applicants make requests for size and type of unit on the membership application form. Management transfers the requests to the external waiting lists.

Please ensure that Woodsworth management has up-to-date contact information for you if you are on the waiting list, including address, phone numbers, and email addresses.

Applicants will only be offered a unit that they qualify for based on the Occupancy Bylaw’s occupancy standards:
Occupancy Bylaw, Article 9.3 (a) says:
The minimum number of persons for each of the co-op’s unit sizes:
– for one-bedroom units, the minimum is 1 person
– for two-bedroom units, the minimum is 2 persons, except a single person may occupy a 2 bedroom unit in the mid-rise including Wilton Street
– for three-bedroom, the minimum is 3 persons
– for four-bedroom, the minimum is 4 persons
The number of persons does not include short-term guests or visitors.

Applicants can specify location, etc. but if the available unit is not a match, the household is skipped. It does not count as a refusal. [Article 4h] Adding special requests may delay being offered a unit.

Changes can be made to requested units, unit type, location without changing your position in the waiting list. (The Membership Bylaw, Article 4g].

To check your place on the external waiting list or update your information, please contact the Office by phone (416-363-3418) or by email – Contact management

Check out the rules about unit allocation, time lines (offers, refusals), and more: Summary of unit allocation procedures

Turning 16s – Membership for 16-19 year olds living in Woodsworth

Residents must be sixteen years or older in order to become a member and Woodsworth encourages them to apply for membership.

The Turning Sixteen process:

Woodsworth has a “Turning Sixteen” application process for 16-19 year olds who live in Woodsworth.

They must have lived in Woodsworth prior to their sixteenth birthday.
They must attend an information session.
These applicants do not have to show proof of income nor do they have an interview with the Membership Committee. They don’t need a credit check by Management.
However they must provide proof that they qualify as children of members and live in Woodsworth. They must show two pieces of identification showing that Woodsworth is their principal residence.

The process:

The teen (or parent) must notify the Membership Committee that the teen wishes to attend the information session to become a member.
Before attending, the applicant must provide acceptable proof that the member’s unit is their principal residence.
They will receive an Internal Membership Application at the meeting. A separate interview is not required.
The membership application must be co-signed by the other members in their unit. Once approved for membership, the new member shares all rights and responsibilities for the unit with the existing member(s).
The Board of Directors approves membership at a Board meeting. They can approve membership, request more information as needed, or deny membership.
If the teen is approved for membership by the Board, the teen must sign the Occupancy Agreement for their family unit. This completes the membership process.
These new members must follow the same relocation rules as long-term guests: they cannot join the internal waiting list until two years after becoming a member. They cannot inherit a unit alone until they have lived with the household for two (2) years after membership approval. Any period of time before Board approval of their membership is not included in the two years.

What happens if young adults don’t apply for membership as a 16-19 year old:

If they lived in Woodsworth before their sixteenth birthday, they automatically become long-term guests.
The person may apply later, after age 19.
However, they don’t need Board approval as a long-term guest nor a long-term guest agreement while they live in their family household.
The procedures for long-term guests will be followed.

For more details, see the Membership Bylaw #84.

Woodsworth’s Waiting List – Closed

Sorry, Woodsworth Housing Co-op’s wait list for housing is closed. We are not able to accept applications for membership at this time.

Please see the list of co-operatives with open waiting lists that the Co-op Housing Federation of Toronto (CHFT) maintains. You can apply for membership in a housing co-operative with an open waiting list.
co-ophousingtoronto.coop/co-op-open-waiting-lists/

Members, to put your name on the internal waiting lists, please see the office staff.

For information about the external waitlist, see Woodsworth Coop’s waiting list

From the Membership Committee