Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Other communities

[donna ellis (donnasutra]

Rob, 

This is great information.  I've used this, and a few other sensible points
you've made about economics, in a discussion with people who have expressed
concern about snobbery and unaffordability in co-housing.  It really helps
to have non-ownership alternative models to consider.  Not everyone needs a
ton of rooms -- or even a private bathroom.  Also, the focus on community
*is* really what counts.  I know a small group that's looking into yurts. If
you have any recommendations or data, let us know and we'll pass it on to
them.

Donna

> From: "Rob Sandelin" <floriferous [at] msn.com>
> Reply-To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
> Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003 20:26:08 -0700
> To: <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
> Subject: [C-L]_Other communities
> 
> 
> Just one example, the APEX belltown COOP has  affordable living situations
> right in the middle of the City of Seattle. They are one of three or four
> coops that I know of in Seattle, that are designed around affordable living.
> I know at least two of the coops would LOVE to have long term committed
> members. Each has its own flavor and setup. Walnut St. Coop in Eugene is
> another  which comes to mind, there are 4-5 others in that town, including
> DUMA which has been around for considerable time. Then out of town are
> places like Lost Valley Educational Center, or Alpha Farm which has been
> going since the 60's. All these places are non-home ownership models. They
> vary from Urban hip to Country hippy. And they are just a small handful of
> those I happen to know about in the Pacific Northwest. There are over 200
> communities in the State of California alone! These are existing places many
> of which have openings for the right people. Which one is right for you?
> 
> There is a sort of class issue about cohousing, because its private home
> ownership, that offers a certain level of middle-class niceness and
> conformity. We want the house in the suburbs, with nice kitchens and our own
> reserved parking space, and we don't want to share a bathroom thank you very
> much. This is not a bad thing, but it is a definition. And  it seems people
> who can't afford the nicely laid out, architect designed, multi-million
> dollar model of community are not interested in living where they share a
> house. So that is the choice they make, as if cohousing were the only way,
> and since I can't do that, we will live alone instead.
> 
> There was once a cohousing group that formed in Portland, never found land,
> never developed any housing. But from what I was told, they all (most of
> them) became great friends, and share revolving dinners, childcare and
> outings together. They have a nice community, and they never built a thing,
> although I understand 4 of them all moved into a similar area of town to be
> closer to one another. This seems a whole lot better than nothing, since
> community was the point, not housing development.
> 
> For awhile there was a thing called neighbor nets which connected like
> minded people in neighborhoods around Seattle. I think it is still going on,
> I've just dropped out of that loop and no longer keep track.
> 
> The Good enough Community spend something like 25 years, building community
> among themselves before tackling the arduous process of creating a housing
> development for themselves. I am sure there are many other examples of
> people who create community without having to building multi-million dollar
> development projects. And of course, there are a few multi-million dollar
> projects that are not doing so hot as communities. So if you want it, its
> within your reach. You just have to reach.
> 
> 
> Rob Sandelin
> South Snohomish County at the headwaters of Ricci Creek
> Sky Valley Environments  <http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm>
> Field skills training for student naturalists
> Floriferous [at] msn.com
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cohousing-l-admin [at] cohousing.org
> [mailto:cohousing-l-admin [at] cohousing.org]On Behalf Of Forbes Jan
> Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2003 4:29 PM
> To: 'cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org'
> Subject: RE: [C-L]_Re: [C-L] Median or mode, Wealth & Poverty [was What
> is wealth?]
> 
> 
> 
> Rob
> 
> I'm not sure this is in response to my spiel.  However I would be interested
> to know about the other co-operative communities in the US for people on low
> incomes.  I assume you're inviting me to check out the intentional
> communities web site.  There are so many communities there that I wouldn't
> know where to start or how to get a clear picture of what they can offer.
> 
> While home ownership has been the goal of most Australians for the past 50
> years I agree it's not the only solution to achieving an appropriate
> standard of secure and affordable housing.
> 
> Home ownership is declining here, particularly with younger people who are
> moving in to home ownership later in life than previously.  There is debate
> as to whether this (and the decline in child bearing) is a lifestyle choice
> or primarily an issue affordability and employment insecurity coupled with
> large bills for tertiary education through the Higher Education Contribution
> Scheme, HECS, or hex as a friend and colleague calls it.  Two of my children
> are buying houses in Sydney but the size of their mortgages precludes any
> thought of children.
> 
> Many years ago I came across a body of research in education that found when
> people anticipate failure at something they tend not to choose it, a wise
> choice when it comes to housing and to child bearing.  However it appears to
> me to be a very constrained choice.  No doubt this is affecting young people
> there too.  I noticed on the news last night that employment in the US is
> continuing to dip, despite a cut in interest rates.
> 
> In Australia these days the main alternative to home ownership is
> increasingly the private rental market where people who are already
> disadvantaged face the constant challenge and insecurity of rising rents and
> constant moves from one insecure 'home' to another.  A few years back I
> spoke to a young woman who in her growing up years had moved about 40 times.
> No surprise that she and her mother had stress-related illnesses.
> 
> My dream is to have more non-profit and co-operative housing to fill the
> growing gap in housing need.  Hard to achieve though without strong
> government support.  The push at present is for private investors to do it.
> Not much chance of that when there's no profit in it.
> 
> Jan
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rob Sandelin [mailto:floriferous [at] msn.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, 9 April 2003 6:56 AM
> To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
> Subject: RE: [C-L]_Re: [C-L] Median or mode, Wealth & Poverty [was What
> is wealth?]
> 
> 
> 
> Home ownership is not available to everyone. There are many people who will
> not be homeowners ever, some might be next year if things go right, some
> might be in ten years. My 21 year old niece who works and lives a wonderful
> ski bum life will not be a home owner next year, even if she had the money.
> It's not something she wants to do.
> 
> There are those who really want to live cooperatively but don't have the
> economic credentials to be homeowners, thus cohousing is a limited option.
> However, there are still 872 other communities around the USA which they
> could become involved with, which do not require home ownership. Odds are
> there is a non-cohousing community within 50 miles of you.
> 
> Cooperative living at lower income and simplier lifestyle levels is
> available all over. I would encourage you to check it out. Cohousing is only
> one type of community, there are many others.
> 
> Rob Sandelin
> South Snohomish County at the headwaters of Ricci Creek
> Sky Valley Environments  <http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm>
> Field skills training for student naturalists
> Floriferous [at] msn.com
> 
> 
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