Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Partnering with Habitat for Humanity

[Lynn Nadeau (welcome]

RoseWind Cohousing, a built community in Port Townsend WA, has two  
homes which were built in partnership with Habitat. This allowed two  
young families to join our community, families who wouldn't otherwise  
have had the means.

HH didn't have money to buy land (which in this lot-development  
cohousing also includes the share of common house and common  
holdings). We didn't have money "not" to sell the home sites in  
question: our development budget was based on projected income from  
each of our lot sales.

Solution: one member donated much of the land money (aobut $40K, I  
think), and the balance was raised by voluntary donations, large and  
small, from other members. So we could provide the land to HH at no  
cost to them.

We were concerned that HH families be a good fit with the community.  
Our compromise with HH set the following conditions:
a) One family would be fronted by HH, but would have to have had tours  
of our cohousing, and chances to talk with us, so they could make an  
informed choice, AND they had to have the option of "regular" HH  
single-family housing instead (so they wouldn't end up in cohousing  
just to get the HH deal).

b) The second family would be fronted by us, conditional upon them  
meeting all of HH's criteria for income etc.

We did that. RoseWind provided the land, and quite a bit of volunteer  
help. HH built the houses and provided the no-interest mortgages. Two  
families with kids moved in.

Now, years later, we have: two compact units . The family we picked?  
(Who had long come to our events and wished they could join, but  
couldn't afford to). NIce people, and they have participated almost  
not at all. The family HH picked? Has participated socially, coming to  
some meals, very little organizationally. They are soon moving to  
another state, and will be replaced by another young HH family. We  
hope that new family will participate, and will make every effort  
(again) to incorporate them and encourage them to participate.

It's good that we have these smaller houses, in our diverse mix of  
housing that includes both smaller and larger ones.
It's good that we are getting an additional family with young  
children, as the new residents were chosen by HH. (With hindsight, I  
wish we'd put in something about second-generation HH family choices  
also needing to be oriented about RW before choosing, but I think we  
got lucky anyway. Hope so.)

Lynn at RoseWind
where we have a sunny, spacious, medium-sized house for sale now, see
www.rosewind.org