Cohousing-L Mailing List: Cohousing in Seattle: Duwamish Cohousing

[S. Kashdan (s_kashdan]

Our Community

Cohousing in Seattle

by Cheryl Murfin

Seattle's Child, March 9, 2012

http://www.seattleschild.com/article/cohousing-in-seattle

Seattle architect Craig Hanus moved around frequently as a child.  It’s a
circumstance that meant he never really made the kind of friends in
childhood that he could look forward to calling and catching up with
throughout his life, the kind of lifelong friends that he would naturally
invite to a wedding or other major occasions, share birth announcements
with, or who--when visiting in person--would refrain from telling his kids
too many embarrassing stories about the time...

"My wife has known her best friend since she was young, and I envy that.
That’s what I want for my kids.  It’s why we’re here," says Hanus.

"Here" is Duwamish Cohousing, a 23-home intentional community located in
West Seattle that is home to some 70 people, including nearly 20 children.
And at the moment, many of them are running around the Duwamish common
house.  Hanus surveys the room where about 30 residents have gathered for a
community meal in the spacious, homey building where residents share food,
hold meetings, play and enjoy other activities as they work to build
friendships and strengthen a united commitment to community.

Most of the kids at the table on this particular night are under age 5, and
they are running gaily around the room, squealing often, wrestling and
otherwise creating a joyful under-buzz to the din of adult conversation
happening around them.  Their parents and other Duwamish residents linger
around dinner tables interrupted now and then by kids’ questions or
requests.  The kids here know they can approach any adult with their needs,
whether or not the adult is their actual parent, and that person will
listen.

Why Families Come

Hanus smiles, looks around, and indicates with a hint of melancholy:

"I wanted my kids to grow up with all these kids and to have the kind of
long-term friendships I didn’t have."

Hanus and his wife, photographer Mhari Scott, moved to Duwamish with their
two young children (Ethan, 6, and Leila, 2) more than a year ago to give
this gift to their kids.  What they’ve learned during their time in this
community explains why they will continue their family’s cohousing
experience when new work takes them to Portland in March.  This week, the
couple traveled to Oregon to interview with a new cohousing group.

Over the past year, Hanus and Scott have grown into a deeper understanding
and commitment to the values of the cohousing movement:  neighbors working
together to build community through shared activities and self-governance,
negotiation and consensus, stewardship of shared property and community
resources (each family is responsible for its own financial well-being), and
creating a safe haven for children.  They are disappointed to leave Duwamish
but grateful for its lessons.

"We’re just learning how to communicate in a cohousing environment," Hanus
says.  "But we already know this is what we want for our kids."

The cohousing neighborhood model "reminds me a little bit of the freedom
that I had when I was a child," adds Scott.  "The children in the community
have the ability to explore their environment with a level of freedom that
is exceptionally rare in today's society."

Cohousing Co-parenting

At Duwamish, each parent is responsible for giving his her children physical
boundaries.  For example, Hanus and Scott allow Ethan to go as far as the
stairs in the south circle of the community property.  The community was
designed from the start to promote resident interaction and safety:  homes
are separated by a walkway, there are no streets between the houses, and
houses have enormous windows that look out into the common grounds.

"It means that Ethan has a lot of free time to just be a child and be
creative without having to be placed in structured environments to be taught
creativity and dream about adventure," Scott says.  It also means that when
a smaller child strays outside his or her boundaries, other community
members feel comfortable re-directing the child.

"I love that my kid is safe when she runs out the door when I am not
looking," says Lena Eivy, whose family is now in their second year at
Duwamish.  "I know that even if she walks through door of a neighbors house,
they are going to laugh and say, ‘Uh oh, Ilya’s escaped again!’"

"For families, you just can’t beat it," says Jonathan Faunce, who moved to
Duwamish Cohousing with his wife and kids (Ethan, 4, and Eliana, 2) last
October after relocating to Seattle from San Antonio, Texas.  "I trust the
parents here to help me keep my kids safe."

Read the entire article at:

http://www.seattleschild.com/article/cohousing-in-seattle

Sylvie Kashdan
Community Outreach Liaison
Jackson Place Cohousing
800 Hiawatha Place South
Seattle, WA 98144
www.seattlecohousing.org
info [at] jacksonplacecohousing.org