Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: cohousing for older people+work reqs

[Lynn Nadeau (welcome]

First there was a post with
"in their community people aged over 80 were exempt from work."

Then a response
>>Subject: Re: [C-L]_Fw: [C-L] cohousing for older people
>From: "Elizabeth Stevenson" 
>We've never considered letting anyone not do community work on a regular 
>basis.

We have a different approach. At RoseWind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA, a 
whole lot of work gets done. Mostly with the 25 adult members who are 
currently living on site. This includes 
Committee work - Steering, Facilitation, Recruitment and Outreach, Common 
House (was programming, then design, then construction; now operations), 
Development (working on the infrastructure installation to our last area 
of new houses), Maintenance, Kidstuff, Landscape, Finance, and now and 
then Architectural Review. In addition there are currently 4 task forces 
working on (a) reviewing and revising and amending our Bylaws and CC&Rs, 
(b) liaison with Habitat for Humanity, who are building two houses here, 
(c) a legal matter, and (d) revising our budget and assessment process.  

The fields get mowed, carpentry tasks get done, the community berry patch 
gets weeded, community meals are starting, parties are organized and 
cleaned up after, email and phone inquiries are responded to, minutes are 
kept, the website is maintained, the common house is kept clean.  

And, beyond the bare bones payment of assessments, we have never required 
anyone to do anything. 

When people are looking into the community and ask if there is a work 
requirement, I say "No, there is not a set requirement, but there is an 
expectation that each person will do what they can, when they can." 

We have 5 members over 70. Three of them are active on committees, 
including 2 on the Steering Committee, and one who is on a committee and 
two task forces. Of the other two, one man at 77 does a lot of physical 
work, volunteering at every work party, and mowing. The other is a woman 
who helped with the design and planning of the common house, and 
volunteers on gardening work parties. 8 members in their 60s are 
similarly involved. 

So far, it has been satisfactory to let people choose their own level of 
participation. 



Lynn Nadeau, RoseWind Cohousing
Port Townsend Washington (Victorian seaport, music, art, nature)
http://www.rosewind.org
http://www.ptguide.com

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