This is what's happening in Cohousing Now! |
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Innovation is all about finding a better way - a better way to build or live or cook or sleep or grow tomatoes. Whatever your passion is, the innovators in that space are the ones who bring new ideas and show us new ways. Never in history has it been more evident that we desperately need new ways. In particular we need new ways to meet needs for connection, safety, and other basic needs.
Decades after the first cohousing was built in the US, the concept remains innovative as more and more people engage with this “new” idea.
What matters more for 2020 is that cohousing fosters innovation. It unites people who share a vision for a better life and proves a structure within which their ideas cross-pollinate, find support and spark collaboration. It connects visionaries with the doers who make things happen. Cohousing equips neighbors with support systems and cooperative skills. Individual innovators can have a powerful impact. Communities of innovators have exponentially more, which is exactly what our world needs.
Three cheers for communities of innovators! Three cheers for cohousing!
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Not sure about Cohousing Open? Here's how to get it for free!
We know that the upcoming 2020 Cohousing Open conference, our first in totally "open space" format, may be a little harder for some communities to "get." Without specific session topics and listed featured speakers, how can you convince your current or future neighbors that it is worth getting a community pass for it? Without session recordings, will they ever be able to learn what was shared in a session they miss?
We're confident there's going to be great value in it, because it will include the chance for everybody in the world of cohousing to lead or support a session, and as you know, the movement is full of incredible, inspiring creative people doing important, meaningful stuff that is relevant for other communities, from forming to long-lived. And part of how we are organizing it is to make sure that every session has solid notes and great follow-up actions and discussions, again led by you, the people of the cohousing movement.
So we'd like to make it really easy for you to get your whole community involved, by giving everybody there the opportunity to join. Simply use our BOGO (buy one get one free) deal through Friday Oct 2 4pm Mtn, and when you buy a community coupon code that lets all your community members register for the "Nuts & Bolts" conference coming in November, we'll give you a code that lets everyone register for Cohousing Open. Easy peasy!
So sign up this week for the best deal in town, and save $250 in this "buy one get one" deal.
contact Karin Hoskin at karincohous@gmail.com
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Cohousing Open 2020:
A Cooperative Conference
This event is all about you: your topics, your knowledge and your creativity. Whether you are a world class expert, or a new beginner, your input helps us all make cohousing better together.
We'll provide plenty of structure to showcase the incredible talent and knowledge of our community.
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Nuts and Bolts of Community
What are the systems that make our communities work? Everything from budgeting to work day planning, capital reserves to paying for common meals. If you have a system, a spreadsheet, a policy for it, this is a great place to share it.
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Join us Wednesday, Sept 30 6pm Mtn for an introduction to the 2020 Cohousing Open. We'll talk about why Open Space is a great format for learning about cohousing, show you around the platform we'll be using, and begin to think about what we want to talk about on Sunday.
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Innovation in Diversity
Want to see the impossible become reality? Watch a mother advocating for her child’s future, add a little social justice, and a whole lot of collaboration and you get a truly inclusive community of neighbors diverse in finances, abilities, race, age, and more - the holy grail of cohousing.
Seven years ago Alicia DeLashmutt knew that her daughter, Neva, a social young woman who experiences disability, would need something more than a stand-alone home or apartment (our country’s ‘typical’ housing model) as she entered adulthood. Alicia knew her daughter would have paid supporters for daily physical needs, but what was lacking, and just as important, was social connection and belonging. (This is a common concern among seniors seeking cohousing as well.) What Neva, and all of us, need is community, and it was that necessity that drove Alicia to invent a new approach to inclusive cohousing, not just for her family, but also as a model that can be recreated as a viable choice for more families like hers.
Naturally the first step was to gather community members and partners. They studied, networked, found grants, and eventually bought land, partnered with a developer, and hired a design and construction team.
By marrying nonprofit with conventional development tools, Our Home - Cathedral Park has created a community plan for 28 homes. The plan includes six subsidized affordable units, already slated for individuals or families with a variety of ages and abilities. The intentional architectural design approach views the private and shared spaces through multiple lenses including universal design, trauma informed design, and design for neurodiversity to ensure a level of inclusion and diversity most communities only dream about.
The neighbors that Our Home - Cathedral Park is now seeking will purchase market-rate homes and enjoy a number of benefits uncommon in forming communities. The solid financing from the non-profit side of the project has helped to reduce the risk for all investors. The community is already multi-generational with neighbors ranging in age from high school students to grandparents. The diversity already present, with more to come, will assure that each neighbor continues to be challenged with new ideas and ways of being to grow their person every day.
Our Home Cathedral Park anticipates breaking ground late summer 2021 with move in early 2023. The project is located in the Cathedral Park neighborhood of North Portland, a vibrant community with easy access to all the best Portland has to offer. In the meantime, we at CohoUS will be watching their progress to see what new innovation they come up with next.
Many communities let go of their dreams of living in diverse cohousing, because it’s just too hard to make happen. If you are still dreaming of true inclusion, perhaps Our Home Cathedral Park is your next home. Visit them here.
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By: Asha Leong
Another great idea for cohousers. We love how Asha Leong of East Lake Commons just outside Atlanta, GA is bringing together her passion, her cohousing community and the broader community in which she lives. Read More
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By: Grace Kim
How much, if anything, do you charge members or members’ guests per night in the common guest room? How much, if anything, do you charge members who use common spaces for work or income earning meetings? How much, if anything, do you charge members… Read More
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Forming Communities and Communities Seeking Members |
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Nate is updating and adding Communities ~ check them out!
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Thanks for reading! Please forward to your friends, communities, and other lists to spread the word about cohousing! |
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The Cohousing Association if funded by donations from people like YOU. Thanks so much for your support! |
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