housing manager

housing associate

handy man

maintenance person

cleaner

Homestarts Incorporated

Pros:
- Attractive benefits package (3 weeks vacation for starters, with a good dental and health benefits package)
- Decent enough support structure comprised of fellow coordinators, senior coordinators, bookkeepers, training staff and some management personnel that can be easily contacted by email or phone
- This point depends on your site location and its' open office hours, but your work hours could be quite flexible and can be accomodated to fit whatever your schedule might be that day, and management can be flexible with this. 
- They have company sponsored social outings and events every now and then, if that's your thing. 

Cons: 
- Low pay. Given the pressure cooker environments that some co-ops are and given your daily burden of having to entertain and handle the um, colourful, characters that live in some of these buildings along with a myriad of administrative tasks, you will be highly under-compensated. It just isn't worth it. 
- No job security. This is a point those of us who are older might need to consider more. Co-ops who are at the leg end of a contract and who might not consider renewing with Homestarts might result in you being laid off or having to work at multiple sites in different ends of the city. It is a private company after all and there is no guarantee of lateral movement in the event of a location shut down, which to Homestarts' benefit, does not happen very frequently. This might not be too much of an issue for younger workers who still live with their parents, and/or are single and still can live their lives vicariously but to those of us who are older and have families and/or little mouths to feed, it's too risky and precarious of a situation to be in. 
- Interestingly, the same point I laid out as a pro is also a con here, and that is in the area of support. In the high pressure environments that some of these co-ops can be, you will find yourself stranded at times when trying to get help from upper management. It is hard to stay motivated and work at an optimal level when you feel isolated from management and having to work with very little support. You will certainly not be micro-managed, that is for sure. However you will also not get any consistent and healthy levels of support from management either. This is, in part, due to the fact that they too, are heavily burdened and have little help for themselves. There is very much a "sink or swim", baptism-by-fire culture in some of the properties it manages and that can be quite a demoralizing environment to work in for some. Homestarts is quite a solid experiment in Social Darwinism in that aspect. 
- There is no pay equity. Again it is non-unionized and it is quite normal for some people in your position (or lower) to make a little more than what is the mentioned start rate for their jobs, due to them finding themselves in situations where they can bargain for more. 

Overall - If you are a young, mid to early 20s worker who has a few years of relevant experience and have no pressing bills to pay, no family obligations and live on your own or with family, Homestarts is a great place. You can gain valuable experience and make decent money for your age, plus the Homestarts name comes with some cachet in the co op sector, so it certainly will look good on your resume. I would recommend the organization with some very strong caveats. However - if you are older with lots of experience, look elsewhere. It isn't worth it.

The only positive thing with this organization is the amount you'll learn about housing if you are a self learner. 

You are set up to fail due to an unachievable workload. When you can't keep up and ask for assistance,  you are either given more responsibilities or gaslit by the Director of Operations. 

Managers are burning out and are not trained equally across the corporation. Managers cannot train their staff properly due to their overwhelming responsibilities and the inconsistent SOPs across the organization. 

In lieu time is a joke and usually cannot be used up. Gave hundreds of personal hours to this corporation that I'll never see again. 

There seems to be a disconnect with upper management on what the employees are enduring or they are chosing to turn a blind eye.  

And they wonder why they're losing clients. 

Properties are no longer effectively managed. Too many properties and too few Coordinators/Managers who do not have enough time to do the daily requirements much less additional projects for property benefit and this makes the job very stressful.  Although upper management is supposed to be available for assistance, they are also often too busy to respond to requests for help. Some of the properties are left in the hands of people with absolutely no property management experience and don't even know what questions to ask and just continue to do things wrong or not at all. Regional managers are too few and too busy to properly oversee their properties and staff.

I worked two to three co-ops to make up a 5 day work week. I travelled to Brampton three days a week and then to downtown Toronto two days. 
I processed housing charge payments monthly, arranged for minor repairs to units, prepared quotes for major repairs, liaised with contractors and vendors, advocated on members behalf for resources, 
prepared meeting agendas, typed out meeting minutes, 
prepared documents for evictions
Worked closely with the Co-op Board of Directors
Created Arrears reports monthly
Prepared letters to members

Underpaid for the heavy workload, unorganized company policies and procedures, unfair promotions, unfair pay discrepancy between employees, lieu time not paid according to contract yet expected to work overtime, unrealistic workload expectations, staffing issues, and more.  Company could be much better if they listened to, valued, had confidence in their employees, had proper training procedures in place and put members first.  Homestarts management, directors, and leaders are lacking experience and knowledge within the positions they hold and the company and its employees are suffering because of this. 


The company is very mismanaged. They have some sort of hidden contract it seems like once you're there for about a year . It is relaxed most of the time and will keep you in your comfort zone majority of the time.  It is challenging in many ways . Major concern is its very mismanaged. Other than that if you like working independently this will fit you well along with great people skills. I hope the company improves itself and gets a better communicating software not webmail .


I worked very very hard at this job and was treated very poorly by members and my supervisor. 

 You’ll be expected to work overtime, they’ll say you can accrue “lieu time” but you’re never able to take it. 

My mental health was severely impacted by this job. I told HR I was having issues and asked for a site reassignment. They said “what, you just don’t want to come into work?”  It was a horrible response and I do not recommend this company whatsoever. 

A company that would hire any one off the street, and why not the pay is so low.  Upper management ignore you and just load sites on to your lap.  And the training is a running joke within the industry.  Was on the job for over a month before I got training of any kind, and that was through teleconferencing.  And when you do call the trainer for help, she has you on speaker phone at her house while her dogs are barking.

clear snow  , clean common room  , complete work orders as requested  , organize and collect supplies as needed . General repairs to units including light carpentry , light plumbing , painting , electrical (fixtures and switches) . hand railings  , smoke detector replacement

working with co-op community and service providers

Working in London & Sarnia with Homestarts is a positive experience. The regional manager is super knowledgeable and friendly understanding life isn’t only work. The challenges of the role are the individuals within the property and trying to meet the expectations of all the stakeholders.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Housing manager 10 salaries reported	$43,800 per year
Housing associate 3 salaries reported	$45,000 per year
Handy man 2 salaries reported	$22.00 per hour
Maintenance person 1 salary reported	$42,000 per year
Cleaner 1 salary reported	$18.00 per hour

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