Sweat Equity

"This book examines public policy during the Commission of Government and the early days of the Smallwood administration in Newfoundland, with a particular focus on "sweat equity" housing programs, where homes were built cooperatively and, upon completion, became owner-occupied. This labour (about 2000 hours per man) was accepted in lieu of a down payment. Cooperative housing in general has never been a dominant subject for discussion in the Canadian housing literature, and sweat equity housing cooperatives in particular have never been the subject of a critical, monograph-length study, yet more than 500 houses were built in Newfoundland by 54 housing cooperatives in the 1950s and 1960s. This remarkable and successful sweat equity cooperative housing program made a significant contribution to the housing stock in this province at a critical time in its history. This is the story of how the Commission of Government and then the new provincial government recognized the desperate need for decent accommodation and what they did to provide it."--