Cohousing-L Mailing List: Homeless Cohousing

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

A friend sent this. A fabulous model for low income cohousing:
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Each village has separate living units, plus a common area.  Each unit is a 
“tiny home” – depending on the community, could be 99-144 square feet, no 
kitchen!  In some communities, the homes have solar panels, composting toilet. 
http://billmoyers.com/2014/02/24/are-tiny-houses-the-key-to-fighting-homelessness/
 At the Quixote Village in Olympia, Washington, there are 30 “tiny homes” that 
are 16’ x 20’. “The residents also have a common space with shared showers, a 
laundry, garden space, and a kitchen. By sharing these amenities, the community 
was able to increase the affordability of the project and design a neighborhood 
they believed would fit their needs and make them more self-sufficient.
“The shared space has also helped them create a supportive community. The 
residents, who are self-governed, have developed a rulebook that prohibits 
illegal drugs and alcohol on the grounds and requires that each member put in a 
certain number of service hours per week. They meet twice a week in the 
evenings to discuss problems or concerns and to share a common meal that they 
take turns cooking.
Cost to build: $5,000 - $87,000 per unit, depending on the community/location 
(and donations).
One, called “Second Wind,” is in Newfield, NY near Ithaca: 
http://secondwindcottages.org/
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This really looks promising. I lived in a Zen Center in a room this size 
Without a kitchen, toilet or shower. What made it workable was having a sink, 
oddly enough. I could wash things without running down the hall. Bring food 
back to my room and wash up the dishes. Wash my hair, etc.
In most places this would need subsidies or guarantees to get built. Many 
homeless people do have jobs, they just can't pay the high rents that most safe 
places charge. Monthly payments on these houses would be possible but a bank 
would be reluctant to loan to them and for this kind of housing. A house with 
no shower? In some places banks don't want to loan money on less than two 
bedrooms.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Sociocracy: A Deeper Democracy
http://www.sociocracy.info