Re: affordable housing | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Lynne MARKELL (lmarkellrogers.com) | |
Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2020 10:59:46 -0800 (PST) |
Once again a thoughtful response to this very interesting discussion. Yes, there is a lot of "sweat equity" that goes into cohousing and I have callouses in my brain from this work. It is hard work learning how to build community and a building at the same time, when most of us have only owned individual homes. I would recommend to the people who want do a sweat equity project that they realize that they will be doing both mental and maybe, physical work. Suggestions: Do use consultants and advisors who have been through cohousing development and social housing development. Consider a "partnership" with a credible group/ organization that can help open up doors for financial assistance. It would be helpful if they could provide a space to meet as you will be in a lot of meetings. Be open and real with your local community about what you are trying to do. You may be amazed at who comes forward to help. Your self-help approach will draw in local people and businesses that you may not know at the moment. I speak from experience as a community developer who has worked with low income people on a variety of projects and recently on my own cohousing project in Ottawa. Lynne Markell, Lmarkell [at] rogers.com (613) 842-5222 > On Jan 3, 2020, at 1:36 PM, R Philip Dowds alt addr via Cohousing-L > <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote: > > I agree with Sharon that significant income disparities within a cohousing > community can create tension between those who can afford and want better, > and those who can barely afford the minimum. But one of the points of > cohousing is that one can and does learn how to compromise constructively > with neighbors of very different means, political and religious beliefs, > lifestyle preferences and so on. As one of my neighbors at Cornerstone puts > it, “If you want diversity, get ready for conflict.” So, I’m quite yet ready > to buy into a vision of economically segregated cohousing as the optimum way > of dealing with household financial differences. > > But I would like to broaden our perspective of sweat equity: It’s not just > about heavy lifting and floating drywall compound. Most cohousing > developments happen chiefly due to astonishingly high levels of sweat equity > contributed during the development process — probably three years at the > shortest; more typically four or five years; and sometimes worse. During > that time, a morphing and somewhat uncertain assembly of volunteers puts in > many hours a week learning to do, and doing, jobs for which they’ve not been > trained: Hunting for land, fund-raising and budgeting, negotiating options > and purchases, architectural programming and design review, seeking permits, > marketing and membership drives, selecting and mobilizing contractors, and on > and on. > > These, of course, are the customary tasks and activities of professional real > estate developers. These tasks are expensive and risky — which is why > developers expect high monetary returns on their investments of time and > cash. Because the founders of cohousing are also, at least in part, the > sweat equity developers, one thing they have a shot at getting (in addition > to a community of friends) is housing maybe 5% to 15% lower in price than a > comparable property produced by for-profit developers. (On the other hand … > if the founders are slow learners, and/or don’t get adequate professional > assistance at critical junctures, then the value of their substantial sweat > equity can be overwhelmed by general inefficiency.) > > Overall, I am usually bowled over by the time investment the founding members > must commit, and are willing to commit, to invent their property and > instantiate their dream. This is sweat equity of the highest order. > > Thanks, > Philip Dowds > Cornerstone Cohousing > Cambridge, MA > On Jan 3, 2020, 11:38 AM -0500, Sharon Villines via Cohousing-L <cohousing-l > [at] cohousing.org>, wrote: >>> On Jan 2, 2020, at 10:56 AM, Ron Ingram <ingramr88 [at] gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> None of these workers were paid money. >>> Zero dollars were given to electricians, plumbers, roofers, inspectors, >>> etc. to be honest, we didn't have any money. None of us. But we pulled >>> together and got it done. We valued sweat equity. >> >> Thank you for taking time to write such a thoughtful and balanced account of >> the way things are. When you describe how the small town built their church, >> it reminds me of the forming-a-cohousing-group stage. Most have more income >> that those in your small town but the need and the desire are the same. >> Communities are fully involved in doing as much as they can themselves. It >> isn’t always apparent because it’s less visible but the Yankee-do’s are hard >> at work. One reason developers and banks refused to work with cohousing >> groups in the first 20-30 years is not just because the banks thought >> cohousers were weird but because the cohousers had no idea how they were >> going to pay for it and actually had no idea how much it would cost. They >> were just going to do it. >> >> Renting is a step in the process of building a secure foundation for living. >> People need a place to live now, not when they have saved enough money — if >> you ever can save enough to own while renting. Many of us elders also rented >> for a large part of our lives. We didn’t have the money either. Unless you >> had parents who could give or loan you the downpayment, it wasn’t possible. >> >> But here we are now with many people who want to live in cohousing not being >> able to afford to, and many people who already live in cohousing, not having >> or not willing to have the money to provide them with housing that is >> affordable for them. Affordable for them means forget the 80% of market rate. >> >> I’m dubious about the plans to have a few low income units mixed in with >> market rate units. I’ve witnessed a group that was started by a city worker >> who was living in subsidized housing and wanted a home so she could adopt a >> child. “I need more than one room.” But when she start organizing the group, >> middle class professionals who already owned market rate houses joined. Very >> quickly the goal became building market rate housing that would support >> low-income housing. She became very frustrated and felt her idea had been >> taken away from her. It’s very hard when you live from one paycheck to >> another to explain to those who live well that the expense of building a >> common house, for example, is above your means, and that you don’t want to >> live in a situation with constant pressure to pay higher monthly fees >> because someone wants to upgrade faucets. It doesn’t matter that the new >> faucets are pretty and force people to use less water, you can’t afford >> them. And you don’t want someone buying them for you — day after day. The >> pressure can be enormous. >> >> This is why I think low income cohousing will happen when a group of low >> income households comes together to build housing affordable by low-income >> households. And insists on equality. That nothing will be done that can’t be >> afforded by at least 60% or 90% of the members. If there are people who want >> to help with initial financing that it be done as a loan or outright gift, >> not in a way that creates a two income level community with the smaller >> piece being low-income. >> >> What I can offer is to design and host a website and an email discussion >> group for those who are interested in giving sweat equity to build >> low-income cohousing. I can also offer policing to keep the plans from >> escalating to soaring heights of “affordable” defined as 80% of market rate >> in the area. And online research. >> >> I’m sure there are many other people on the list who can offer skills and >> information without compromising the efforts of the group to build housing >> they can afford. >> >> Sharon >> ---- >> Sharon Villines >> Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC >> http://www.takomavillage.org > _________________________________________________________________ > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: > http://L.cohousing.org/info > > >
- Re: affordable housing, (continued)
- Re: affordable housing Sharon Villines, January 2 2020
- Re: affordable housing Ron Ingram, January 2 2020
- Re: affordable housing Sharon Villines, January 3 2020
- Re: affordable housing rphilipdowds, January 3 2020
- Re: affordable housing Lynne MARKELL, January 4 2020
- Re: affordable housing Ron Ingram, January 3 2020
- Re: [C-L] affordable housing Brian Bartholomew, January 4 2020
- Re: [C-L] affordable housing Sharon Villines, January 4 2020
- Re: [C-L] affordable housing Ron Ingram, January 4 2020
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