Re: Fwd: the failure of cohousing in the united states
From: Fred H Olson (fholsoncohousing.org)
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2004 08:18:22 -0800 (PST)
Alberta Maged <albertamaged [at] hotmail.com>
is the author of the message below. 
It was posted by Fred the Cohousing-L list manager <fholson [at] cohousing.org> 
on request due to a problem posting text (hot html only) from hotmail.

--------------------  FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS --------------------


In this time of the Patriot Act and other modern forms of red-baiting,
Raines, your letter veers on the edge, as do some of the other responses. 
   
A few weeks back I raised the question of affordability and basically got
responses that wished me luck in my research.  Now you write in your
response to Doug Stambler the following:  "If his point on elitism were
true, we wouldn't be seeing extensive partnerships between Cohousing
professionals and affordable housing developers and government agencies to
create permanently affordable housing in communities, or people in
communities creatively finding solutions to help one another and break
down the barriers. Please, go beyond the myths and stereotypes to see how
we're leading the way in this area." 
   
I wish you had sent me that response when I wrote a few weeks ago because
I would have asked you where these "extensive partnerships" are located. 
Where are they? 
   
Sharon Villines wrote in early November of an experience from years ago of
people banding together to pool their very limited resources together to
create a form of community/co-housing.  Joyce Plath also wrote in early
November of being hired by a developer to create the affordable housing
component of the Arcata, California development, and she is using
co-housing as her form (or model?). 
   
I saved these two posted messages because they spoke to the question of
community, cohousing community for people with less than the required
hundreds of thousands of dollars. 
   
I have yet to see on any co-housing web site a unit for $150,000, and
never one less than that.  There is an attempt to create one here in
Massachusetts, but it is stalled at the moment (not due to the organizing
committee).  Most of us here in the United States live in urban areas and
the jobs and housing are in crisis mode.  Reading the recent postings does
indicate that numbers of folks already in co-housing are in economic
difficulties, tho I don't say this is at crisis stage, just that even in
your communities you are seeing people who need financial help.  Many of
the "new" jobs being created are service jobs with correspondingly low
wages. 
  
Housing is at a critical place, or the lack of it, and while DS may frame
his questions outside the current framework of co-housing communities,
he's not alone in his concerns.  This is an easily accessible list.  Do
you suggest that there be criteria for those who want to discuss
cohousing and limit to only the group you choose. 
   
So, once again, I ask where are these extensive partnerships with
affordable housing, are they in urban areas, and is affordable in the
quarter million dollar range or lower? 
   
   thank you, bye, Alberta (Somerville, Massachusetts)



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