Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Cohousing vs "traditional" self-managed community

[Mac Thomson (macthomson]

At Heartwood Cohousing, we take this concern very seriously in that we have a 
very strong process of making sure prospective members are very familiar with 
our community and have fully considered whether we are a good fit for them and 
vice versa and also a very strong orientation process once they arrive, 
including a big welcoming on their day of arrival — welcome basket and lots of 
help moving in, followed by six months of various orientations and a 
getting-to-know-you event.

To learn more about our processes:
https://www.heartwoodcohousing.com/membership.html 
<https://www.heartwoodcohousing.com/membership.html>
https://www.heartwoodcohousing.com/prospective-member-checklist.html 
<https://www.heartwoodcohousing.com/prospective-member-checklist.html>
https://www.heartwoodcohousing.com/membership-questionnaire.html 
<https://www.heartwoodcohousing.com/membership-questionnaire.html>
https://www.heartwoodcohousing.com/for-new-members.html 
<https://www.heartwoodcohousing.com/for-new-members.html>

Cheers,
Mac


-- 
Mac Thomson

Heartwood Cohousing
Southwest Colorado
http://www.heartwoodcohousing.com


"America is a country that doesn't know where it's going but is determined to 
set a speed record getting there."
        - Laurence J. Peter
**********************************************************



> On May 17, 2025, at 12:31 PM, Lisa Kuntz via Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] 
> cohousing.org> wrote:
> 
> When I chose to move to a cohousing community nine years ago, I did a lot
> of preparation and chose my community after following several cohos online
> for a few years, as well as visiting and "interviewing" with a couple in
> person.
> 
> I thought that the concept of *cohousing *was a bit different than the idea
> of a traditional *self-managed community, * the difference being the
> expectation for not just participation but for social engagement and
> collaboration. What if those expectations are not communicated before
> people buy or rent?
> 
> What I am curious about:
> 
>   - Does a  *cohousing community *become just another *self-managed
>   community, *if there are no expectations communicated to potential
>   "members?"
>   - If a community offers only realtor-type tours, without relational
>   information, is it still *cohousing*?
>   - If a community ceases to feel comfortable with any type of
>   conversational/interview process to support potential buyers, is it still
>   *cohousing*?
>   - If there is no process to help buyers determine whether or not they
>   wish to live in a *relationally* oriented community, what happens to the
>   term "members?"  It seems to me as though we are just "residents."
>   - What happens when there is no concrete process to educate buyers about
>   how the *social fabric* differs from that of a traditional self-managed
>   community?
>   - Some of this transition to feeling like a traditional, self-managed
>   community rather than what I think of as cohousing, is due to Fair Housing
>   concerns.
> 
> I don't know whether these thoughts will resonate with others, but if they
> do I would appreciate your feedback.
> 
> Lisa Kuntz
> Daybreak Cohousing
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