Co-ops in Vancouver truly suck - well, unless you're a drug addict.
As someone who has lived in low-income housing in one form or another for large periods of my life, I had a certain level of expectation and no delusions about the accommodations required to make cooperative living workable. I was fully aware that a certain level of drug use was normal as was a certain level of tolerance for it.
Never before have I been treated so poorly in any living situation. Our time in Victoria Gardens was the most miserable experience of my life.
While the drug and alcohol addicted children of members congregated with their friends in large groups and openly used and sold drugs in front of our unit for hours at a time almost daily, the only cooperation evident was that of the co-ops board to avoid applying its own rules and policies.
Actively protecting the interests of one co-op member (who is also on the board and chairs the membership committee) with over 5 years worth of drug related complaints in her files became the order of the day.
Protecting the interests of any and all engaging in drug and alcohol activity quickly became the pattern up to and including refusing to take action after one particular party turned violent, required police and ambulance and culminated in the party resuming after the police left including two teenagers openly having sex in the yard of an empty suite on the property.
The recommendations of a professional mediator were completely ignored, including several items for inclusion in the co-op policy.
The situation went from bad to ugly and we finally abandoned the unit for our own safety after our son was attacked inside our unit in retaliation for our having made complaints and police calls about the persistent drug problems.
The situation at Victoria Gardens is utterly shameful and the only people who have rights in that building are those who are actively drug and alcohol enabling.
Acts of intimidation and threats of violence against members who dare to complain are ignored and those members who cannot afford to leave often experience fear at the hands of the thugs this co-op protects.
The question begs to be asked; where is the oversight to prevent this kind of abuse? Who is responsible to ensure that the governing members of a co-op are acting in good faith to provide fair and equal treatment to all of its members and to act in accordance with the policies and procedures of the co-op act?
I find it equally shameful that outside assistance for co-op members who faced what we did is non-existent.
The concept of “self-governing” has many advantages and can allow places like Victoria Gardens to develop a strong sense of community. Unfortunately the co-op has abused the concept and thanks to a complete lack of accountability, Victoria Gardens has become a haven for gang activity and drug and alcohol abuse.
We moved out of the co-op in November and not only will we never be willing to live in another co-op ever again, we have and will continue to advise people to avoid co-op living altogether until such time as more accountability is brought into the process to prevent others from suffering what happened to us.
At a net projected loss to us of approximately $30,000 over the next 2 ½ years due to being forced to move on short notice, at a rent almost double our housing charges, we now find ourselves in a situation of hardship what would not have existed had we not lived in Victoria Gardens. The very thing that co-op living was designed to provide (affordable living and strength of community) was denied to us and we will feel the financial aftermath for years to come.
This was truly a horror story we will never forget.
Never before have I been treated so poorly in any living situation. Our time in Victoria Gardens was the most miserable experience of my life.
While the drug and alcohol addicted children of members congregated with their friends in large groups and openly used and sold drugs in front of our unit for hours at a time almost daily, the only cooperation evident was that of the co-ops board to avoid applying its own rules and policies.
Actively protecting the interests of one co-op member (who is also on the board and chairs the membership committee) with over 5 years worth of drug related complaints in her files became the order of the day.
Protecting the interests of any and all engaging in drug and alcohol activity quickly became the pattern up to and including refusing to take action after one particular party turned violent, required police and ambulance and culminated in the party resuming after the police left including two teenagers openly having sex in the yard of an empty suite on the property.
The recommendations of a professional mediator were completely ignored, including several items for inclusion in the co-op policy.
The situation went from bad to ugly and we finally abandoned the unit for our own safety after our son was attacked inside our unit in retaliation for our having made complaints and police calls about the persistent drug problems.
The situation at Victoria Gardens is utterly shameful and the only people who have rights in that building are those who are actively drug and alcohol enabling.
Acts of intimidation and threats of violence against members who dare to complain are ignored and those members who cannot afford to leave often experience fear at the hands of the thugs this co-op protects.
The question begs to be asked; where is the oversight to prevent this kind of abuse? Who is responsible to ensure that the governing members of a co-op are acting in good faith to provide fair and equal treatment to all of its members and to act in accordance with the policies and procedures of the co-op act?
I find it equally shameful that outside assistance for co-op members who faced what we did is non-existent.
The concept of “self-governing” has many advantages and can allow places like Victoria Gardens to develop a strong sense of community. Unfortunately the co-op has abused the concept and thanks to a complete lack of accountability, Victoria Gardens has become a haven for gang activity and drug and alcohol abuse.
We moved out of the co-op in November and not only will we never be willing to live in another co-op ever again, we have and will continue to advise people to avoid co-op living altogether until such time as more accountability is brought into the process to prevent others from suffering what happened to us.
At a net projected loss to us of approximately $30,000 over the next 2 ½ years due to being forced to move on short notice, at a rent almost double our housing charges, we now find ourselves in a situation of hardship what would not have existed had we not lived in Victoria Gardens. The very thing that co-op living was designed to provide (affordable living and strength of community) was denied to us and we will feel the financial aftermath for years to come.
This was truly a horror story we will never forget.