Cooperative Housing History

The history of cooperative housing had begun from a long time ago , they have been recognized as a means of providing affordable housing. And because they are owned by their residents, cooperatives offer continuing economic rewards and social opportunities for residents who are interested in controlling their social environment and improving the quality of the goods they have and so their lives.

While the history of housing cooperatives dates back to the beginning of time , when shred –ownership housing have been recorded throughout history since the days of Babylon, when two owners sharing separate floors of house , then at the ancient Rome , different owners shares same building .

At the nineteenth century , cooperative housing movement

It was here where local weavers first brought a sack of oatmeal into John Walker’s whitewashed front room and began selling the contents at a discount.

Robert Owen, a Welshman, is considered the father of the cooperative movement. Who is a successful businessman who made his fortune in the cotton trade, Owen believed in putting his workers in a good environment with access to education for themselves and their children. These ideas were put into effect successfully in the cotton mills of Scotland. It was here that the first cooperative store was opened.

At the beginning of the cooperative movement, a group of 10 weavers and 20 others opened a cooperative store in England at, 1844 with a very meager selection of butter, sugar, flour, oatmeal and a few candles. Within three months, the “Pioneers” expanded their selection to include tea and tobacco, and they were soon known for providing high quality, unadulterated goods. This was the first successful cooperative in documented history, and the Pioneers created a list of principles to guide their mission. These values were so successful that coops today still follow these same Rochdale

One major change that took place after the war was the enactment of“Section 216 of the IRS code” in 1942. This act allowed income tax deductions for mortgage interest and property taxes for cooperative members. The first major inducement for the development of new co-ops for moderate and low income families in New York came with the leadership of the union movement after the war. The years between 1945 and 1950 saw another increase in cooperative development.

By the 1060’s-1970’s, the United Housing Foundation and its predecessors had created number of cooperative housing projects in New York City, ranging in size, with large number of apartments and with focusing on other facilities that meet the members need like its own food stores, nursery schools, a credit union, and a multitude of civic and social organizations.

Currently, the cooperative movement is alive and continuing to grow amidst a myriad of economic, political, and social factors. Cooperative organizations are continuing to add members and developments on a continuous basis, and range from low-income, public interest housing to high-end, luxury dwellings. Also there is the ICA (International Cooperative Alliance) is an independent, nongovernmental association which represents cooperatives worldwide