Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: cohousing questions

[Rob Sandelin (robsan]

1.  What is the group house like?  Are there always people hanging out there,
or is it just for meetings and dinners?

Yes. A commonhouse typically may have people hanging out it in it at 
any time, it gets used most for meetings and dinners.

2.  How do people who want to do coho find other people they'd like as
neighbors?  I mean, it seems like people cooperate a lot in deciding who
lives in the housing.  How do you get the initial group going?

Most group form by one or two burning souls who are committed to doing 
the project who then advertise and hold a slide show or some other 
organizational meeting. Recruitment brings in others.

3.  Are people in coho *close*, like are lots of deep friendships formed, or
is it more just *neighborly* like you can borrow an egg or get a ride?

Yes. It is more neighborly, but also attachments form. I am closer to 
some of my neighbors than I am to some members of my family.

4.  Rob mentioned tours.  Living in Santa Rosa, CA, are there coho places
nearby who would sometimes do a tour so I could see a coho group?

I don't know where Santa Rosa is.  There are currently 4 groups in 
California which have something to visit, Two in Davis, one in 
Sacramento, and one in Berkeley.  The next issue of the Cohousing 
Journal will list phone numbers and contacts for all the groups around 
the country.