Cohousing-L Mailing List: Advice

[Nicole Wilde (nicole]

Greetings,

My name is Nicole Wilde and I am new to this listserve - which I am grateful
to have found.

I have been hired by a local group to begin researching an alternative to
traditional independent and assisted living facilities in our region (N.
WI). I have long been aware of co-housing from travels in Europe, and based
on the culture of our region, is one direction we will seriously explore.
However, since I have just been hired onto this project, I am at point 0. No
study circles/community research has been conducted specifically on this
topic- however many people are involved in sustainable development
(green/social) study circles at this time and senior housing and access to
affordable housing has risen as a reoccurring topic - so people are
organized and there is already discussion is my point - just not focused on
this topic.

Based on all of your various experiences with co-housing, senior co-housing
and senior programs, I would like to ask the following:

1) What books/publications should I be reading as a primer?
2) What are the predominant questions I should be asking at this initial
phase?
3) What training should I be attending?
4) If you were me, what would be your first steps to begin researching this
idea?
5) What is/are the senior co-housing(s) facilities that is the
benchmark/standard that I should visit? Names of people who made these
happen.
6) Keeping seniors in their home as long as possible is part of the
vision/discussion - is this part of the co-housing equation? If yes or no,
any communities that I should look at that is doing this well.
7) Legal/Finances - where can I find legal business model structures and
financials for successful sustainable co-housing projects. What I am looking
for here is capital costs, financing (Lenders, investors, and renters:
equity/debt), operations etc. 

Any other advice/ideas are welcome. Obviously there are questions I am not
thinking of, so feel free to answer those as well.

Thank you very much for your ideas and time.

Warm Regards,
Nicole Wilde
nicole [at] wildegrowth.com