Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Policies for guests on property

[Diana Carroll (dianaecarroll]

Second everything ann says.

But I notice that your question wasn't about background checks for
residents, which it seems you have already decided on...but for -guests-?

At the risk of being offensive, I will say: that's just bizarre.

I'm not even sure what kind of background check you mean.  Sexual offender
registry?  Criminal record?  (In MA this is called a CORI and is required,
for example, for anyone who will be working with children). Credit report?
 Online services that charge $30 to aggregate data from public
records? Hire an agency to pore over all public public records?  Hire
a Private investigator to follow someone?

Even the simplest of those (sexual offender registry which is publicly
available online) requires knowing someone's full name and town.  Will your
residents be submitting this information about their visiting guests before
they visit? In MA, CORIs require a signed release; I assume similar laws
exist in other states.  Are you thinking to ask your residents to acquire
said release for their friends and family before they visit?  I'm kind of
slack jawed at the thought.

We at Mosaic Commons have no rules about who can visit and who can't.  We
have rules everyone is expected to comply with about things like smoking
and pets, but in terms of who is allowed on "campus"?  No one has ever
suggested screening guests, and my red card is twitching just thinking
about it.  If someone here is breaking the law, we can call the cops.  If
they break one of our rules, maybe we'd ask them to leave.  If there's some
legal reason they aren't allowed here - a restraining order, say - then we
should call the cops and let law enforcement enforce the law.  other than
that...our residents can invite whoever they please to visit them.

Diana

On Saturday, April 5, 2014, Ann Zabaldo <zabaldo [at] earthlink.net> wrote:

>
> John --- this has come up on this list in the past.  Have you checked the
> archives?  You can check by key word.
>
> What is propelling this discussion of background checks?  Have you had a
> problem w/ people joining your group in the past?  What are some of the
> issues being raised?
>
> Speaking personally, I cannot imagine doing a background check on a future
> neighbor.  That kind of thinking destroys everything I consider to be
> sacred about and the promise of cohousing.  It's worse than a gated
> community.  While surely we all get "characters" in our communities ... how
> would we ever avoid that?
>
> If you are worried about sexual predators you can check w/ on line
> services for that.
>
> What will be the criteria for accepting or rejecting a household based on
> a background check?  Multiple marriages?  Sticky divorces? Not paying bills
> on time? (I've missed payments.)   Back taxes owed?   (I got walloped one
> year for not taking out enough taxes so I owed a bundled.  Paid it off over
> time.)  Served time for drug abuse?  Lost job?  (How many of us have been
> in THAT situation?)
>
> Doing a "background" check is going to uncover a whole lot of information
> hat you may not even be considering.  Are you REALLY comfortable knowing
> this info about your neighbors?  Who will see this information?  Everyone
> currently "in" the group?
>
> Here's a guideline:  Are the persons currently in the group going to have
> background checks?   Is everyone in the group comfortable with having
> everyone else "know their business?"   If you find out something about the
> people currently in your group are you booting them out?
>
> >From a strictly marketing and outreach perspective ... my mind boggles at
> what the branding would be:
>
> Join our cohousing community!
> Know your neighbors!
> Background check required!
>
> I'm not being glib -- I think this is a serious issue.  Where in your
> outreach process are you going to tell prospective members they have to
> have a background check?  First meeting? Who would come back?   Second
> meeting?  Once they are really invested in the community and suddenly are
> informed of this?  How many pissed off people will you have?  It would feel
> like "bait and switch" to me.
>
> If fear is driving your community at this stage then fear may end up
> driving your future.   The norms and conditions you establish early on are
> difficult to change later.  Really difficult.
>
> I acknowledge people's need for safety.  Will background checks provide
> that?
>
> I'd be looking at what's going on in the group rather than what's going on
>  "out there."
>
> Best --
>
> Ann Zabaldo
> Takoma Village Cohousing
> Washington, DC
> Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC
> Falls Church VA
> 703-688-2646
>
> On Apr 5, 2014, at 10:00 AM, johnrichmond50 <johnrichmond50 [at] 
> hotmail.com<javascript:;>>
> wrote:
>
> >
> > Hello folks - a belated thank you to those who responded to the
> questions regarding electoral representation.
> >
> > Another question - there is a groundswell within our group in favor of
> background checks for future residents and renters. Given that, what are
> the policies of your communities regarding checks on guests on your
> properties? If there's something we're missing with checks on residents you
> can address that too.
> >
> > Thank you, Happy Saturday -
> >
> > John Richmond
> > Richmond Cohousing
> > Sent from my Galaxy S(R)III
> > _________________________________________________________________
> > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
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> >
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