Laundry co-op builds dignity

By Trisha Elliott  |  Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Jinyu Chi (right) and her son Carlos celebrate the laundry co-op's 10th anniversary. PHOTO: TRISHA ELLIOT

OTTAWA, ON—The Community Laundry Cooperative, found in the heart of Ottawa, gives its members dignity and a chance to change their lives.

More than 1,200 members do 2,800 loads of laundry a year at the cooperative—opened a decade ago as an outreach to help the city's poor. Members are charged one dollar a load; the yearly membership fee also costs just a dollar. Soap, bleach, fabric softener and coffee are distributed for free.

Laundry contracts with outside community agencies like Families Matter, First United Church and The Ottawa Mission, lets members earn money and gain job-training skills.

"From the beginning, the laundry cooperative has always been more than a place to do laundry. It's been a place where people have learned job skills and where community has been built, one load at a time," says Karen Fee, the cooperative's board chair.

A public consultation in 1999 helped determine community members' needs—especially those most affected by federal and provincial social service program cutbacks. One of the chief concerns voiced was the need for an affordable place to do laundry.

Shortly afterward, First United Church, Centretown Community Health Centre and McLeod-Stewarton United Church started the laundry cooperative. Today, the cooperative is an incorporated charity. While no longer an overtly Christian mission, board members are largely Christian-based and church communities continue to be heavily involved in supporting the cause.

For Jinyu Chi, the Community Laundry Cooperative has been more than a place to wash clothes—it's helped her cope with the isolation of moving to a new country. During a tenth anniversary celebration last fall, Chi brushed away tears while talking about what the laundry co-op means to her.

"I remember the day I first heard about the co-op. I was lonely, sad, scared and had no savings. I didn't speak English well and was washing clothes for my son Carlos and I by hand. I preferred to use the $60 dollars a month it would cost to do laundry in a machine on food."

Chi moved from China to Canada three years ago and says she's relied on the Community Laundry Cooperative to practice speaking English and bolster her self-esteem.

"Now I'm pursuing my dream of becoming a nurse."

Chi's story is one cooperative coordinator Marianela Gonzalez-Santamaria can relate to. Santamaria came to Canada from Venezuela eight years ago. Although she had an MBA, Santamaria struggled to make ends meet and relied on the co-op's laundry services. She dreams the cooperative will help others who struggle as she once did.

"I hope that in the future, we will receive enough laundry contracts that we can offer people who have completed our job training program steady jobs. That's my dream," says Santamaria.

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