Cohousing-L Mailing List: divorce in cohousing

[Doug Huston (huston]

At times I’ve read on this list serve how stressful break-ups/divorces have 
been on communities. 
In our community, we are considering the following proposal: 
When a couple breaks up, the person who moves out of the community is 
automatically no longer a member of the community. 
This means he/she cannot be an off-site member, a category which exist for some 
communities.
This would be the default situation. Exceptions could be considered. If after 
one year the member who moved out wants to re-join, the group could choose to 
consider this - or not.
The intention behind this is to insulate the community (to some extent) from 
the common challenges, stress, and tensions which usually accompany break-ups, 
and would likely be heightened if both parties remain formally involved in 
community activities. 
We are wondering what others in communities think, and if there are similar or 
related policies regarding break-ups elsewhere in cohousing. 
Thanks for your comments in advance.

Doug Huston - Ashland (Oregon) Cohousing Community