Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Affordability - Retention (Sally Hardy)

[Lisa Kuntz (lisa.kuntz]

Thanks for your perspective and examples, Alan.

I'll be sharing this with Membership Team in my community, since these are
perennial concerns.

Lisa Kuntz

On Sun, Feb 5, 2023 at 4:14 AM Alan O'Hashi via Cohousing-L <
cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:

>
> Hello Sally -
>
> The Cohousing Association envisions "A New American Dream" and diversity,
> inclusion, and equity as major organizational themes this year, which
> includes your timely question.
>
> My place in Boulder has a diverse housing mix with affordable homes. The
> most stable households have turned out to be those living in lower-cost
> condos. Three of the market-rate houses have had four owners. The
> lower-cost units have turned over at a rate of 28 percent, compared to 72
> percent of the market-rate homes.
>
> This has to do with housing choices in Colorado including in Denver. An
> owner of a million-dollar house has more housing options than someone in a
> $200,000 one. That's the price range in my community.
>
> Those of us in lower-cost places would have to move out of town to find a
> comparable house. Because of the lack of options, at least in my case, I'm
> more willing to put up with the interpersonal problems that arise among
> people who have different views about wealth and all that goes along with
> that.
>
> We have one resident who has taken it upon themselves to confront
> neighbors who they don't like having around, for one reason or another. One
> of their targets in a million-dollar place moved out on account of that
> intervention. If they pulled that on me, their demands would fall on my
> deaf ears.
>
> Cohousing communities are microcosms of the country. Because of the
> oppressive nature of the American Way, my observation, the socially and
> economically powerful have a majority in most, communities, and get their
> way more often. They have no reason to change their outlooks while the
> marginalized have to capitulate or leave. Like in the wider society,
> cohousing community economic and social divides are widening, maybe Aria is
> no exception.
>
> Hopefully, CoHoUS and its member neighborhoods can address housing
> affordability together but one community at a time.
>
> Thx,
>
> Alan O
> ps - the cooperative living model is a good start, but differentiating
> people into the ‘haves’ who live in cohousing and ‘have nots’ into coops,
> widens social and economic divides. The cohousing definition needs to be
> more inclusive (private dwellings instead of private homes).
>
>
> Alan O'Hashi
> Donate and get "Beyond Heart Mountain"
> books and DVDs
> www.beyondheartmountain.com
> www.bouldercomedia.com
> ..303-910-5782..
> ..307-316-2113..
>
>
> On Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 04:16:10 AM MST, <
> cohousing-l-request [at] cohousing.org> wrote:
>
>
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