Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Why woudl anyone join a cohousing group?

[Rob Sandelin (Exchange) (Robsan]

My perspective comes from living in cohousing for 5 years now, visiting
and talking with bunches of other cohousers in gatherings and
conferences, and visiting other communities. So here is my top ten list,
from my perspective of living in cohousing:

1. Living in community offers security. You can rely on your neighbors
to help you, even when you don't ask.  This is huge for me, that my
family is in a safe and supportive place. My grandmother died recently,
my neighbors knew all about it,sent cards and sympathy and support to my
family. HER neighbors didn't even know she was sick, most of them didn't
even know her name.  How many of them could she ask for help if she
needed it?

2. Community offers social opportunities. I can have wonderful and
meanful interactions with people I like, who are my neighbors, just by
sitting out on my porch. I really enjoy hanging out and talking with
folks about everything, politics, the news, kids. Sharing our histories
and ourselves grows a wonderful bond amoung us, I suspose much like
encounter groups do. I know more about my neighbors history and lives
and why they do things like they do than I know about some of my family
members.

3. Supportive place for kids to grow up. Safe, lots of friends-both
other kids and adults. Kids can play and I know any adult in the
neighborhood will be there for them in case of need. Fun place to be an
adult, lots of play opportunity with kids, and other adults. 

4. Great place to collaborate with people who share similiar interests.
Small groups form revolving around shared common interests, beer making,
sewing, gardening, music, etc.  I don't have to "go" anywhere to enjoy a
beer making club, my neighbors and I can do that. The commonhouse is
great for that.

5.  A sense of togetherness and belonging. I am part of something that
is really wonderful, it is a model for a better way to live, and we all
together are doing it. I can't explain this in words very well but there
is a strong feeling of happiness in me that comes from working towards a
common good that I used to get as a teacher and environmentalist, and
now get as I work with my neighbors on a variety of projects. 

6. A great restraunt in the middle of my neighborhood, called the common
house where I can go have dinner and great conversation with friends.

7. Great place to learn new things. I always wanted to try making beer.
Having a couple of neighbors share that interest got me home brewing. We
learn and try new stuff all the time.

8. A great place to share ownership of things that I couldn't really
afford myself, such as a workshop, play structure, tools, library etc.

9. Huge personal resources available. Want to know about bee keeping? I
go ask Mel, and get all kinds of info. Having problems with my car? Mark
knows lots about such things. Want to build a shed? Bob can give me
advice, help me scroung materials, hell, did half the work one Saturday.
A neighborhood like mine is a collection of 26 lifetimes worth of
experience in all manner of things. What a treasure trove!

10. Privacy. I get ALL the great benefits of cooperative living, and
also get huge amounts of privacy, whenever I want just by going home and
closing the door or going into the 25 acres woods that surround my house
that everybody shares ownership of.

I would say the $ value of all those things, to me, would be in the
million dollar range. My house cost me less than market value to build
and is worth way more than I paid for it should I ever move to another
community. Notice I said move to another community. It is unconceivable
for me to ever move back to a "normal" neighborhood, where everyone is a
stranger and I have to be afraid every time my kid goes out the door.  

Rob Sandelin
Sharingwood