Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: retrofit cohousing - ultralite

[Fred-List manager (fholson]

Jean Hopkins <seaheidi [at] earthlink.net>
is the author of the message below.  It was posted by
Fred, the Cohousing-L list manager <fholson [at] cohousing.org>
due to a format problem.

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Thank you very much for your article Alan. While caring for my
mother I wanted an accessible common home in her neighborhood where
neighbors could come together to care for not only seniors but also
children and neighbors with disabilities or injuries.  So I developed
the idea of Neighborhood Care Homes. Promoting it was difficult with
few people able to invest in such a place.  I did learn of a small
group trying to do retrofit cohousing, but we were spread rather thin.

If our government would start matching grants, such as Community
Development Block Grants, it might encourage neighbors to come
together to create more sustainable neighborhoods.  These
neighborhoods would probably have lower crime rates, be healthier and
everyone would feel valued so less suicides.  These retrofit
neighborhoods could also offer employment to people living in
adjoining neighborhoods.  Home care providers wouldn't have to 
travel so much from one neighborhood to another if they could work
with all age groups in one neighborhood.  I talked with a VNA Board
member about 10 years ago about this, but I need to talk with them
again.

Jean, now living in an accessible cohousing community