Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Re: affordable housing

[Rob Sandelin (Exchange) (Robsan]

A just met with a group of folks who are starting a community.  They found 
an old abandoned farmhouse, very run down, but still livable, on 25 acres 
for $175,000.  Six families divided the downpayment and contract costs so 
they each put $5,000 down and are making payments of $300 a month on the 
property. Some folks put more downpayment in to help out those who couldn't 
come up with the cash.   They each contribute a minimum of 20 hours a month 
in work party efforts and have drafted a plan to remodel the house 
themselves, and remodel the barn into a commonspace and residence.  All of 
this work is being done without permits (they are far enough out so that 
nobody will ever know) and expect that they will all live on this land with 
an investment of about $40,000 each.  Some folks are paying that $40K up 
front, others will pay it out over several years, assisted by those who are 
paying up front.

They  incorporated as a cooperative corporation where 1 share = 1 vote and 
each share costs $5,000.   Every single on of them told me that they were 
committed enough that they would give all their assets to make this 
community work.  I believed them.

Three of the families involved in this project have already donated a total 
of $80,000 into a community fund which will be used to purchase materials 
for the remodeling.  Another family has donated a house they inherited for 
"parts" and they are dismantling this house and using the fixtures, wood 
and other materials in their remodel.  They expect to have 3 families 
living on the land by next spring, and the rest by the next fall.  Another 
family has donated their truck for use in the construction process - the 
group pays the insurance and costs of repairs, etc.

In each of the families, at least one person works full time at some other 
job.

The key element about this group is Commitment.  Every person is totally 
committed to creating this community-With their hearts, their souls and 
their fortunes and assets.  I believe they will succeed no matter what 
happens to them. They are not investing in equity, they are building a 
community.  Two of the families own homes and are selling them to move into 
the community.

This is not Cohousing but I offer it as an example of what commitment can 
do towards creating low income housing, if living on 25 acres for $40K is 
called low income in your vocabulary.  They expect to be able to live on 
about $8,000 income a year.

I think one of the most difficult barriers to affordability in cohousing is 
the notion of Private ownership.  Having autonomous private space is 
important, having private ownership of that space may not be.  Corporate 
ownership of property might offer lots of advantages towards affordability, 
especially if you can keep banks out of the equation.

Rob Sandelin
NW Intentional Communities Association
Sharingwood