Re: Thoughts From a Longtime Cohousing Resident | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Lynn Nadeau / Maraiah (welcome![]() |
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Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:03:43 -0700 (PDT) |
As is often the case, Sharon V speaks my mind. > ... how many people can a community support who come because it advertises > itself as supportive?... How many people with limited ability to tolerate the > kind of conflict that diversity inevitably brings? How many people who need > daily support at one point or another? > > Advertising ourselves as open to all has its limitations in a society where > it is not true elsewhere. As the main marketing contact, I can only give those who inquire about buying as much information as possible about who WE are and what we do and expect, and hope they will self-select. Some years back our left-leaning community was approached by a nuclear submarine captain. I told him he'd need to be comfortable with after-dinner announcements about demonstrations against war and nuclear issues, and mentioned that, yes, I did know where Bangor Naval Base was: I'd been arrested there! Suggested that if he moved here, perhaps we could carpool some time.... (He ended up getting assigned elsewhere.) I find plenty of diversity already in our mostly educated middle-class center-to-left residents: we still have a surprising amount of diversity in terms of attitudes and values about money, for one example. Our main challenges in any way we might hope to encourage some sorts of membership are that (a) our property is open-market, and can be sold by an estate or departing member via realtors, without necessarily entailing our orientation intervention, though we do our best to find buyers when a property is for sale, and (b) even when we do meet with interested parties, we can only offer information and encourage visiting meetings etc: we still cannot either keep people from buying who don't seem a good fit, or really know how new members will function once on board. Furthermore, some members change over the years: some of us have been with this project over 20 years and mentally and emotionally there can be changes. We are fortunate that so far we have always kept a critical-mass of members who value and participate in community with the group. Ironically, I've noted that, among inquirers, gushy over-enthusiasm for how wonderful it will be in cohousing is a red flag. I'd rather sell to someone who is clear that there will always be some contentious members in group process, that not everyone will be their personal friend, that it can entail not only expense but work and time spent helping others and the group as a whole. Those who have huge expectations are bound to be disappointed, which can lead to resentment or withdrawal. You'd think the Outreach team would be all about cheerleading for cohousing, but often we are offering a reality-check. Which reminds me, it's about time I wrote a piece for the local paper, which is a good way to keep up a public profile of who we are, with the potential to attract inquiries from folks who would enjoy living here. Maraiah Lynn Nadeau www.rosewindcohousing.org Port Townsend WA
- Re: Thoughts From a Longtime Cohousing Resident, (continued)
- Re: Thoughts From a Longtime Cohousing Resident Elph Morgan, March 18 2013
- Re: Thoughts From a Longtime Cohousing Resident Mariana Almeida, March 18 2013
- Re: Thoughts From a Longtime Cohousing Resident Muriel Kranowski, March 18 2013
- Re: Thoughts From a Longtime Cohousing Resident Sharon Villines, March 18 2013
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