From June 8–18, Rooftops Canada welcomed Thulani Nkosi, a Senior Attorney from the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) of South Africa to Atlantic Canada and as part of the Women Spaces project. During this visit we exchanged ideas and explored solutions to one of the most pressing challenges facing communities around the world: ensuring everyone has access to safe, affordable, and sustainable housing. 

While Canada and South Africa face different housing realities, both countries are grappling with questions of affordability, inclusion, and how to build communities where everyone has a place to call home. The study visit created an opportunity to step outside local contexts and examine these challenges through a global lens. 

The visit began in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where Nkosi joined Rooftops Canada staff and board president Jaclyn Johnston at the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada’s Annual Meeting. Surrounded by housing advocates, co-operative leaders, non-profit organizations, and private sector professionals, he participated in discussions about innovative housing models and approaches to building more sustainable communities. 

For Nkosi, one of the most meaningful aspects of the visit was seeing the broad range of people working together toward a common goal. “The study visit offered a great learning opportunity about the need to develop inclusive and sustainable housing solutions for all. The idea that housing is a human right to be claimed by and provided to all was reinvigorated in me.” 

Conversations with Housing Alternatives, The One Change, New Brunswick Non-Profit Housing Association, and Compass Nova Scotia Co-operative Housing, among others, highlighted the strength of collaborative housing models. Canadian partners shared lessons from co-operative and non-profit housing solutions, while Nkosi shared South African perspectives on community advocacy, rights-based approaches, and the realities of addressing housing challenges in a different context. These conversations encouraged participants to question assumptions, rethink existing approaches, and consider new possibilities. 

“I found learning about co-op and non-profit housing models very interesting,” said Nkosi. “It was a great and surprising experience for someone like me to witness private developers discussing ways in which affordable housing for all could be achieved in ways that seem to centre people and not profit. I come from a country where any talk of affordable housing for all is left to the government.” 

Jaclyn and Nkosi then travelled to Halifax to attend the Nova Scotia Non-Profit Housing Association Annual General Meeting, where they hosted a workshop, “Connected Communities: Solutions from Around the World,” creating space for local housing leaders to engage with global perspectives and shared learning. 

As housing affordability and tenure security continue to challenge people around the world, international exchanges like this remind us that some of the most valuable solutions grow from shared understanding. By listening to one another, learning from different experiences, and working together, we can build a future where everyone has a secure place to live in peace and dignity.