Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: site & plans = less interest in associate status

[Joelyn Malone (JKMalone]

Here at Monterey Cohousing (MN) we've been at this business of living 
together for 16 years now, but still haven't solved the issue of new 
residents not seeming to be as "invested" in the community aspect of 
cohousing as some of us who helped create the place. One theory is that 
the new folks somehow don't feel as empowered to have influence and make 
changes they see as necessary. This in spite of the fact that we've 
tried to structure our meetings and processes to provide that 
empowerment; especially the message "your concerns are as valid as 
anyone's" and "if you don't like something, bring it up and take it 
through the process we use to make changes" - rather than just 
complaining about it to the other new people".
We are thinking of implementing something we've seen in the membership 
process of new groups who haven't yet moved in, which is a pledge to 
honor our vision statement and actively participate in various 
activities (work requirements, meal program) even though we know we 
can't legally "require" this of new buyers. Have others used this 
mechanism, and has it been effective? I think we can't make it binding, 
but at least it would bring our expectations to the potential future 
owner in a way they would need to actively accept the expected 
responsibilities (by signing the pledge) or actively choose not to do 
so, whereby we would at least know where we stand with that owner if 
they do buy in.