Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: rental cohousing?

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On 9 Feb 2011, at 3:18 AM, Grace Kim wrote:

> I think the conversations on this topic have been great and highlight the 
> fact that we, as the "cohousing movement", are ready to look seriously at how 
> to incorporate affordability

In support of Grace's message, I want to clarify that "ready to look seriously" 
should be read as "able to be ready to look seriously at affordability."

Cohousing has been unfairly criticized for not being more affordable. Although 
many communities do have units that are perfectly affordable according to 
government guidelines, the real reason why cohousing was not more affordable is 
that it was seen as a risky investment so no funds were available, private or 
public, to help anyone build cohousing. For many it was a great sacrifice just 
to get their own homes built, and many failed losing tens of thousands of 
dollars.

It is only after 25 years that it has established a track record and is now 
being listened to that Coho Us is able to move forward with seeking development 
support.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org