Cohousing-L Mailing List: Letter to Editor

[Maggie Dutton (mdutton]

Hi everyone....(those who, like me are not at the conference in Boulder)
I thought some might like to see the letter that was published yesterday in
our local paper..see below...any comments or suggestions? The Editor added
the Heading...it surprised me because it is more positive than my letter in
tone.  That's good because I was pretty frustrated when I wrote it. My
heading had been "Are We The Only Ones?"  After I sent the letter I thought
it would be nice to know if others in Fort McMurray feel as we do about the
housing situation here so I created a survey on Housing Satisfaction.  It is
on our web site at http://www.thehomesproject.shawbiz.ca/survey1.htm
Hopefully if enough people respond to it, we will get an idea if we are
crazy to think Cohousing would work here.

"NEW CONCEPT IN HOUSING GETS OFF THE GROUND"
Since arriving in town last fall I can't count the number of times that I
have heard statements like;

"Fort McMurray is different than any other city.  People are transient and
just here to make big money.  All they do is work and they have no time to
get involved in something like you are proposing.  Other people have tried
to get similar things going with no luck."

We brought with us a great new concept for affordable housing that has been
successful in many places, most recently in Calgary.  It is called
Cohousing.  Most people that we have told about it in Fort McMurray say they
think it is a great idea, but not for them...for someone else.  We
acknowledge that Cohousing is not for everyone, but for those who are
interested in living in a close-knit neighbourhood, it is a wonderful,
alternative housing option.

I am writing this letter to ask Fort McMurrayites to let us know if we are
not the only ones.....

* Who want to live in a close-knit community where we know all of our
neighbours and have many friends.
* Who have a little extra time and energy and lots of ideas, to invest in
creating a community, intentionally.
* Who recognize that a better quality of life is possible by banding
together and sharing resources and time.
* Who are interested in participating in a "resident-driven" development
process that would see an affordable housing community built by 2004/5 as a
result.
* Who would enjoy living in a diverse housing community where amenities such
as a day care and a community kitchen/garden are shared.
* Who would still like to have privacy in a self-contained unit.
* Who would like "green" values to be reflected in the project
* Who would like to be sure that the project is designed both physically and
socially to suit the needs of the "residents-to-be"
* Who relish the prospect of the adventure in personal growth that will come
from the groups experience in community building
* Whose purpose in being in Fort McMurray goes beyond making money.
* Who don't say "I'm out of here as soon as possible so why get involved"
* Who don't say that our  "Home" is somewhere else!

We are seeking others who find that they resonate with our vision of a
cooperative affordable community in this great city.  For more information
about Cohousing or our plans please visit our web site at
www.thehomesproject.shawbiz.ca or contact Maggie at 715-0449.
mdutton [at] shaw.ca  An Open House will be held at our new Community House on
June 28th from 1 to 4.  We invite everyone to come and visit and tell us
what you need in housing.
Maggie Dutton,
Director of Work Enjoyment,
H.O.M.E.S.  Housing Ourselves Made Easy Society
159 Eymundson Rd.
Fort McMurray, T9H 4N1



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