Survey Results

Conducted and tabulated by Donald King, Mediator, CHF/BC

1. How long have you lived at Kinross Creek Housing Co-op?

_________________________________________

2. Why did you choose to move into Kinross Creek Housing Co-op?

1. Family oriented	2. Safe place to raise children
3. Kinross had excellent references	4. In the primary interview it struck us as an extended family type of place
5. Economics	6. Because we had a young family
7. Desire to live in a community environment	8. Applied to several co-ops and Kinross was the first to respond
9. Growing family	10. Great location

3. How may more years do you expect to live at Kinross Creek? ____________

1 - 2yrs	17 - 38.6%
3 – 6yrs	5 - 11.3%
7 – 9yrs	3 - 6.8%
10 or more	19 - 43.1%
No Answer	7 - 5.9%

4. Are you presently serving on a co-op committee or the board?

Yes	36 - 81.8%
No	9 - 20.4%
No Answer	7 - 5.9%

5. Please identify your level of co-op participation.

a.) For the most part I enjoy participating	13	d.) I rarely participate.	7
b.) I frequently feel frustrated when participating.	33	e.) I do not participate at all	2
c.) I participate only because I have too.	0

6. What motivates you to continue to live in Kinross Creek?

a.) Good neighbourhood	36	d.) Friends are here	17
b.) Cheap housing	6	e.) No other choice	1
c.) Like housing co-ops	29	f.) Cannot afford private ownership	9

Other (Please explain)____________________________________

7. Compared to when you first moved in, do you feel that the community spirit at Kinross Creek is:

a.) Better	1 - 2.1%
b.) Same	7 - 15.2%
c.) Worse	38 - 82.6%
d.) No Answer	5

Please explain:______________________________________________

1. It doesn’t feel the same as it use to. There seems to be more punitive rules, which doesn’t encourage community spirit.	2. There is a definite division in the co-op between those who support the 1999 housing policy and those who don’t.
3. It seems very clique oriented. People who have lived here since the beginning/resist new ideas/creative change	4. Power struggles, fights, backstabbing, poor participation policy. Bullying by others
5. Despite recent problems, there are still lots of examples of community spirit.	6. I don’t find people as willing to participate because they feel that they are being expected too instead of appreciated.
7. There is no community spirit anymore	8. It seems to have gotten cliquey and segregated kind of like “them and us”

9. Do you feel that it is important to attend general meetings?

Yes	44 - 91.3%
No	2 - 4.3%
No Answer	5

Comments from Question #9

1. My concern would be more related to issues that don’t make it to the general meeting that I’d like to have discussed openly.	2. Meetings are places where people are allowed to continually debate each other. They monopolize the discussion, and they do not demonstrate the ability to seek compromise. Their only focus is getting a majority vote. No desire to generate options that satisfy all parties.
3. Too much discussion about some points over and over that the main issues is often lost	4. Meetings are poorly run. Emotions and tone of voice are out of control. There is no respect for diverse opinions.
5. Lots of members hog the floor

10. Do you feel that you are given the opportunity to be well informed about issues when a vote is taken at a general meeting?

Yes	31 - 62%
No	19 - 38%
No Answer	1

If no, why not? (Please explain)

11. Do you feel comfortable to participate in general meetings and contribute your ideas and opinions?

Yes	14 - 27.1%
No	37 - 72.5%
No Answer	0

If no, why not? (Please xplain )

1. I prefer to keep my opinions to myself to avoid the talking that will go on after among other members	2. Sometimes a second agenda is all too obvious. In this case members’ opinions & ideas are totally ignored.
3. In spite of veiled treats and sarcasm from some	4. Cliques and back talking
5. There appears to be opposing factions lately at meetings	6. The people who do not believe in sticking by policies……. Start to attack.
7. Often it feels really tense to me. I’m sort of shy and I find the whole thing rather intimidating. It seems to same people are always speaking.	8. I have never felt comfortable speaking in public. I am always leery of saying the wrong thing or not knowing how to respond to a question or statement. I feel that I don’t have the “proper” words to express myself.

11. Do you believe Kinross Creek to be a good place to:

a.) Raise children

Yes	45 - 88.2%
No	0 -
No Answer	0

b.)Be a single parent

Yes	41 - 87.2%
No	6 - 12.7%
No Answer	4

c.) Be a senior

Yes	36 - 76.5%
No	11 - 23.4%
No Answer	4

d.) Be an immigrant

Yes	39 - 86.6%
No	6 - 13.3%
No Answer	6

e.) Be A resident with a disability

Yes	35 - 74.4%
No	12 - 25.5%
No Answer	4

12. Does Kinross Creek accommodate the diversity associated with different cultures, ages, genders, and abilities?

Yes	38 - 74.5%
No	13 - 25.4%
No Answer	0

Please explain: ______________________________________________

1. Not having English as a second language or having a disability does not exclude participation. Is there more we can do to include these groups to participate?

2. I strongly feel that we do not make enough effort to address the social, economic, and cultural, differences that effect our level of participation.

13. Please jot down one, two, or three things that you enjoy about living in Kinross Creek Housing Co-op.

1. Good neighbours who are aware of each other	2. We like our unit. It is very comfortable home
3. Affordable housing	4. Managing our own community
5. Good friends and neighbours	6. Proximity to bus lines, & shopping
7. Good principles of co-operation	8. Champlain Heights is a nice area to live in.
9. Security of tenure	10. Social interaction
11. Sense of community	12. Safety
13. I enjoy the support emotional and helpfulness in raising a family	14. I enjoy my backyard and living space.
15. Quiet community	16. Pet assessable.

14. Please identify any co-op policies or committee initiatives that you feel are creating confusion or conflict within the co-op community.

Please explain: (use additional paper if required)

1. “Stock taking” style of monitoring participation.

2. Conflict being created by new downsizing policy and participation policy.

3. Housing policy too few agree with.

4. Policy changes made on the basis of only one vote, simple majority of 14 to 13 is not necessarily representative, particularly at the end of a long mtg. where persons have had to leave due to lateness of the hour.

5. Over housing policy has created dissention in co-op between those that believe they are entitled to their “home” forever and those that acknowledge it is subsidized housing and that there are no “forever” rights.

6. Major issues regarding the administrative protocol of maintenance committee.

7. Policies of internal moves

8. It is frustrating to see a participation chart complete with color-coded stars tracking ones participation in a co-op. The image it presents is to foster competition and shame low participation. This is an antiquated model.

9. We do not need incentives or monetary rewards to force us to participate. The nature of volunteering is that it is unpaid. Once it is rewarded it is not voluntary.

10. Relationships between board – Committees / Members.

11. It isn’t so much the policies per se but that policies are applied (or not applied) arbitrarily. We, as a community, have agreed on our process for deciding policies or changing policies. Anyone is free to distribute a motion to set policy at a general meeting. Debate ensues and policy is passed (or not passed) by the majority. This is an expression of what people want to happen in a given situation. Conflicts have occurred when some people wish to selectively apply (or not apply) these polices.

12. Conflict has also arisen between those who feel that everyone should contribute to the running of the co-op (as stated in our principles, rules, and contractual agreements) and those who do not. Part of the latter are people who have a “Renter’s Mentality” and therefore believe that they just live here and that the landlords (whoever “they” are) should do the work. Still others feel that it is OK for some members to do all the work while others do little or nothing. Attempts to determine the level of participation and encourage more volunteerism have therefore resulted in conflicts and name-calling.

13. I believe in mentoring & encouraging members instead of “formal tracking” of participation. (One size doesn’t fit all.)

15. Are you aware of any factors that have interfered with your desire or ability to contribute to the co-op (e.g. poor organization, distressing policies, inadequate training, combative atmosphere, etc.)?

Please explain: (use additional paper if required)

1. Lack of accountability (to board and members) of members who do not participate.	2. Combative atmosphere is really making it difficult for me to participate.
3. What is the sense of having policies when they are not followed	4. We seem to lack the ability to move beyond majority rule. Or in many cases majority rule is majority by one.
5. Kinross has always had difficulty solving conflict.	6. The slowness in having non-essential repairs done.
7. I can’t stand meetings that aren’t efficiently chaired.	8. “Poverty mentality” I think we should pay for some maintenance by professionals rather than depending on (and burning out) our volunteers.
9. Not all members appreciate the importance of consultation, openness, and consensus.

16. How effective is the co-op’s conflict resolution processes? Are conflicts actively resolved or do conflicts fester and go unresolved?

Please explain: (use additional paper if required)

1. Conflicts seem to go on and on till frustration is all that survives.	2. There is constant backyard/street corner gossip
3. We need to have an elected mediation committee	4. Conflicts fester and go on unresolved
5. What conflict resolution	6. There is no conflict resolution process available so things fester, gossip makes it worse and you’re glad you work and don’t have to stay home to deal with it constantly
7. I have yet so see a conflict be resolved.	8. There are none
9. We have particular problems dealing with conflicts between a member and the Board.

17. Can you suggest any specific steps that the community could take to address any of the challenges you identified in questions 14, 15 and 16?

Please explain: (use additional paper if required)

1. Conduct a review of the present “participation policy.”

2. Conduct a review of the “over housing policy.”

3. Conduct a review of Maintenance Committee operational guidelines.

4. People need to understand and appreciate the fact that treating everyone the same is neither fair nor equal. Remember the story of the fox and the stork.

5. Members should write their concerns down prior to meeting being held

6. Be more flexible. One cannot apply every policy by the letter of the law.

7. An undertaking re: proper democratic process needs to be agreed to by all members

8. Develop a comprehensive conflict resolution process.

9. Fund the clean-up lunch once again instead of it being potluck

10. Some short films illustrating and explaining co-op living. There are a lot of people in our co-op who are just not sure how to get involved.

11. Review all policies and rewrite to include amendments over the years. Controversial policies to be readdressed, voted on again with only 75% majority.

12. Co-op handbook should be re-organized to include all policies. Less room for misinterpretation and abuse.

13. People who do not demonstrate a willingness to participate will be given a certain number of chances before they are asked to leave.

14. Try to have meetings at various times.

15. Conduct more educational events and training.

16. We need a paradigm shift in relation to how we view a co-op. ie; Co-ops are “not for profit” housing, not “social housing.” People can’t have a sense of ownership if we have to “move down” to accommodate people who aren’t members. We should lobby for more co-ops as opposed to trying to fix the problem of affordable housing ourselves.

17. Members need a better understanding of the roles of the elected Board in relation to committees. We need more reports from our committees.

18. 60 % of all to change policy.

19. Members who do not like a policy should be directed to present a new motion.

20. Follow policies. Then every one gets treated fare.

21. We need to figure out our common goal and create a single agenda

22. Schedule a community planning session to collectively set yearly goals.