Cohousing-L Mailing List: Sustainable Communities Initiative

[Ann Zabaldo (zabaldo]

Hi all —

On Wednesday morning (tomorrow) my neighbor, Alicia, and I are meeting w/ eight 
staff members of Fannie Mae’s Sustainable Communities Initiative.

https://www.fanniemae.com/sustainable-communities/#/!

From their website:

—begin—
The Sustainable Communities Initiative is an incubator for ideas that identify 
innovative solutions to address the affordable housing crisis. We strive to 
connect people with tools, and elevate and amplify ideas, to drive changes in 
the housing market around healthy, affordable housing and increased access to 
communities that are sustainable, offering quality education, healthy homes, 
and well–paying jobs. Sustainable Communities supports early–stage pilot 
programs that are then transitioned to Fannie Mae business units upon success.
—end—

They are coming to tour Takoma Village.  In addition to the tour, this is an 
opportunity to engage them in a conversation about how cohousing can help them 
achieve their program’s goals.

I am interested in hearing from anyone who has an idea to promote to them about 
cohousing.  Here is one of my ideas:

Research how cohousing saves municipalities money:  living in cohousing reduces 
municipality services e.g. ambulance, police.  If someone’s stereo is too loud 
we don’t call the police or call the management office — we ARE the management 
office — we knock on the door.  Often in medical emergencies we don’t call an 
ambulance to take us to the ER, we ask a neighbor to drive us.  Work w/ the 
Cohousing Research Network to produce high quality studies on the benefits of 
cohousing to municipalities.  If municipalities can see that cohousing can 
reduce budgets the municipality will more likely support cohousing developments 
in their jurisdictions.

Anyone else w/ an idea?  All acknowledgements grandly given!

Best --

Ann Zabaldo
Takoma Village Cohousing
Washington, DC
Member, Board of Directors
Mid Atlantic Cohousing
Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC
Falls Church, VA
202.546.4654

I’m …

 “it’s 8:30 pm and you want to start a movie this late?” 

… Years Old.  

(From a series of DIY embroidery quotes by The Twilight Sewn)