Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Raines Cohen (rc3-coho-Lraines.com) | |
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2017 20:47:04 -0700 (PDT) |
I thought this group on this thread would appreciate the inspirational self-description below by the residents of an East Bay cohousing neighborhood in Oakland, California. The community, Golden Gate Cohousing, uses a unique all-affordable-rental nonprofit-ownership non-equity model charging below-market rents, as low as a quarter of what apartments rent for across the Bay in San Francisco. The residents are all renters, but they will (eventually) run the nonprofit owning the property, and won't have to raise rents except to cover underlying cost inceases. By renting primarily to people with incomes below area medians, the community qualifies for significant property tax discounts, making rents more affordable -- a "virtuous circle." It has not received any other subsidies; it just was able to buy two adjacent properties cheaply and make improvements. The community crosses over into what we call "cohouseholding" (aka hashtag #coliving) because in the quest for affordability they rent some rooms with shared facilities, rather than all separate units per the cohousing standard model. We helped launch the community, which is currently expanding into the building next-door, and look forward to seeing what it becomes. Raines Cohen, Cohousing Coach, at Berkeley (CA) Cohousing Regional Organizer, East Bay Cohousing / Cohousing California --- Who We Are...Currently We have accepted four new full members and three children (siblings) whose ages are 9, 7, and 3. This number adds to our current members of nine adults, making us 13 adults ranging in age from their 30's to 80’s and three teenagers (two part-time). [...] We strive to replicate the demographics of Alameda county, one of the most diverse counties in the country. We currently hail from a variety of places including Iran, Israel, Colombia, Brazil, Chilean ancestry as well as native Oakland and other places in the US. This community thus reflects multiple cultures and diverse ethnicities including: African-American, Latinxs, Middle-Eastern, European-American, and Latin American. We are also open to other diversities--gender, sexual orientation, ability, etc. We are engaged in a wide range of pursuits, including holistic culinary healing and counseling, property management, child care, teaching, economics, agroecology, vegan cooking, environmental and community activism, conscious puppetry, urban gardening, food justice, social justice, animal rights, herbalism, documentary filmmaking, restorative justice, non-violent communication, meditation, yoga, dance, music, art, and play. We aim to create a diverse community/family in which everyone is respected for who they are. We are actively engaged in becoming conscious of our privilege and recognizing oppression, how we impact others, and how we can move towards creating a genuinely safe, supportive, and inclusive community. Please see our list of values below. Several of us have been active volunteering and working in places like PLACE for Sustainable Living, Open Source Wellness, Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture , Planting Justice, Give Them Wings Imaginary Thinking, North Oakland Restorative Justice Council, BOOST West Oakland, Reading Partners, Oakland’s Zero Waste, East Bay Meditation Center, Economic Development without Displacement Coalition, Local Clean Energy Alliance, Berkeley Animal Rights Center, and other organizations focused on building alternatives to live sustainably on Mother Earth and in harmony with humans, animals, and other sentient beings. We are also committed to promoting these values in the population at large. We hold community and committee meetings several times a month; share meals together and socialize; are increasingly engaged in one another’s lives; and are moving toward collectively managing all aspects of the community and the property.
- Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab, (continued)
- Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab Sharon Villines, August 14 2017
- Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab Tom Smyth, August 14 2017
- Social Change [was Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab Sharon Villines, August 16 2017
- Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab Raines Cohen, August 21 2017
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