Cohousing-L Mailing List: Community Living of SE Wisconsin

[rob (rob]

Hello C-L List,

Just wanted to let you know a group of us (now comprising six forming
communities) have put together a new organization called Community Living
of SE Wisconsin (CLOSEW, http://www.closew.org - under construction,
info [at] closew.org).

We're looking for the rest of our members - people who live in SE
Wisconsin and have an interest in (or are already living in) cohousing,
housing cooperatives, intentional communities, etc. We have one mailing
list started for the process of forming CLOSEW, and have had one main
meeting so far with another scheduled for tomorrow evening in Wauwatosa.
(Email me or info [at] closew.org for more information.) Our third meeting is
scheduled for the afternoon of June 26th.

Our statement of purpose is also under construction, but based on
discussions we've had so far, it seems to cover these areas:

(1) To provide a clearinghouse of information on community living in SE
Wisconsin, geared toward people looking for community, including:
  * general information on community living and the types of communities
  * specific information on communities in SE WI, both established and
forming, with contact info and links
  * services to match potential communitarians with communities of interest
  * community-living advocacy and awareness activities
(2) To provide support for communities in SE WI, including:
  * information and support structure for groups both established and forming
  * a central location for connecting groups with investment, design and
construction management, financial resources
  * cooperative and reciprocal services, including conflict resolution,
mediation, and process-related training
  * organizing community-living related events, workshops, etc.
(3) To provide support for community living in general including:
  * a repository of documents related to community living for research and
study, collected from other communities, including (but not limited to)
articles of incorporation, bylaws, handbooks, consensus and
decision-making training materials, membership agreements, CCR's, etc.
  * a housing co-op email list, complementing the cohousing-l list

We're anticipating finishing (or starting from scratch if needed) our
mission statement or statement of purpose once we feel our group is
representative of communities in our area.

If you are in southeastern Wisconsin or have a strong interest in that
area, please consider getting involved with us. Email info [at] closew.org or
rob [at] v2b.org for more information.

Peace,
Rob