Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Affordable Housing in Your Community Ann Zabaldo

[Kw Wilson (kwwilson]

We kind of stumbled into affordable housing.

. We didn't have enough presales to start construction, so three of
our families put money down on four units to use as rentals. After
over a year, one upstairs unit had not sold, so one family purchased
it to use as a rental, totaling five rentals.

. Some of our original members used an existing non-profit
organization to purchase one unit as a rental for a low income family
who is in temporary need of help. They were awarded a grant to use for
the down payment. The mortgage payments are made with pledged
donations. The family is carefully chosen after an in-depth interview
to determine that they are able to be financially successful. They are
allowed to stay one year.

. Our Declaration includes a rental ceiling that allows for those
units to remain rentals.

. When one of our families had trouble paying their monthly
assessment, the non-profit group set up a fund that people could
contribute to for the purpose of helping a family make the payment
once or twice a year. 

. When some of our residents could not afford to attend weekly
community dinners (at $3.50/adult), the non-profit set up another fund
for contributions to help such families attend the meals. (When these
funds run low, they send out a notice that more contributions would be
appreciated, and this seems to work.)

Kay Wilson
Meadow Wood Condo Cohousing


-----Original Message-----
From: cohousing-l-bounces+kwwilson=bartcommunity.org [at] cohousing.org
[mailto:cohousing-l-bounces+kwwilson=bartcommunity.org [at] cohousing.org]
On Behalf Of Fred H Olson
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 6:33 AM
To: Cohousing-L mailing list
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Affordable Housing in Your Community Ann Zabaldo


On July 26, Ann Zabaldo wrote:

> I will be on the Kojo Nnamdi show on Washington DC's local NPR
station 
>WAMU 88.5 FM this Thursday, July 28th starting at noon EDST.  Katie 
>McCamant is The Guest.  Jack Wilbern, Blueberry Hill Cohousing is 
>providing "local commentary" and I'll be representing Mid Atlantic 
>Cohousing as one of the board members of that organization.
...
>I'm sure that one of the questions we'll be asked is about 
>affordability in cohousing.
...
>I would very much like to hear how you have built affordability into 
>your community.

Hi Ann,

I think it would be a mistake to allow listeners think that cohousing
in the US has been very successful about addressing affordability.
Attempts have been made, there is a desire to make cohousing
affordable, but it remains a major challenge.

I suggest reviewing David Mandel's Apr 5, 2009  reflections on the
experience of Southside Park Cohousing, Sacramento which tried to
achieve affordability when they built in 1993-94.

Re: Pioneering/Building in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods/Gentrification
http://lists.cohousing.org/pipermail/cohousing-l/msg29783.html

Fred

--
Fred H. Olson  Minneapolis,MN 55411  USA        (near north Mpls)
     Email:        fholson at cohousing.org      612-588-9532
My Link Pg: http://fholson.cohousing.org         My org:
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