If you need more info, the following are some book reviews. Please feel free to send these reviews to the magazines which you think will be a good fit for them.

One of every ninth tent is housing a veteran—the rest are equally important members of society for whom the neurological role of the dice did not work out.

Link to the book.

A Solution to Homelessness in Your Town Book Review

By Carl Hall, Professor of Philosophy, Housing Activist

Finally, a book that any city, county, or state official can look at and say “Well, if this brand-new town, American Canyon, can build housing for 100 homeless veterans and seniors, so can we.”

Charles Durrett’s A Solution to Homelessness in Your Town beautifully describes the nuts and bolts of going from initial vision, to ground-breaking, to move-in. Anyone looking for an effective way to address the problem of homelessness will find this book to be a valuable resource for realizing that the problem of homelessness can be affordably, effectively, and beautifully addressed.

Like many other “well-housed” folks I tended to think of homelessness as a formidable social problem that defied any practical solution. In this case, I couldn’t have been more happily wrong. In partnership with city officials and the non-profit Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA) Durrett’s visionary project became not only a functional, but a beautiful haven for the homeless.

From the beginning, The Cohousing Company architects didn’t merely seek to put a roof over people’s heads but to re-create the sense of living in a small village where neighbors become friends who can rely on each other to help meet their basic needs. A large and welcoming clubhouse with a common kitchen, dining room, and adjoining terrace serve as the focal points of village life where residents can meet to talk, work, and play together, and occasionally share common meals, but most importantly to figure out the next step necessary to a better life and to support each other in moving toward that life.

Too often municipalities seek to address the problem of housing the homeless without realizing that these future residents can be a wonderful resource for each other and the community at-large if a felt-sense of living in community is intentionally built into the overall design of the project.

One of the most surprising and inspiring aspects of Durrett’s story is how the obvious human need created by the ever growing problem of homelessness forged a synergistic bond between city officials, architects, contractors, and future residents that motivated all involved to build a community that everyone could point to with pride saying, “We did this ourselves.” 

A Solution to Homelessness in Your Town goes way beyond the nuts and bolts of “getting it done”, creating not just houses for the unhoused, but homes for human beings. As one resident, Matt, a Vietnam veteran put it, “When I came to see my new home for the first time, I thought I had gone to heaven.” How wonderful it would be if every homeless person could experience that overwhelming sense of finally arriving home.

A Solution to Homelessness in Your Town Book Review

By Janet Stambolian, Housing Activist

Chuck Durrett’s new book, A Solution to Homelessness in Your Town—Valley View Senior Housing, Napa County, California tells the story of Durrett’s most recent foray into creating housing and community for chronically-underserved populations. In this case, residents of Valley View Senior Housing in Napa County are formerly homeless elders. The book chronicles the collaboration between the municipality of American Canyon, CA and the project team that resulted in the construction of 70 dwellings averaging 500sf plus a community center. The book speaks to Durrett’s commitment to using his skills and expertise to tackle the intractable national social challenge of chronic homelessness. Reflected in the book are Durrett’s values of thinking outside the box, pursuing solutions with optimism, collaboration and cooperation, and creating models of community that offer residents a roof over their heads and a sense of meaning and purpose.

Finally, there is a book that any city, any county, or any state official can look at and say to themselves, “Well, if this brand-new, neophyte of a town, American Canyon, can build housing for 100 homeless elders, war veterans, and otherwise homeless, then we can, too.”

Finally, there’s a book that answers the how –– everyone already knows the why: because it’s the right thing to do. Homelessness is a horror and with COVID it’s horror on top of horror, with nowhere to shelter in place.

**There are 114,000 homeless school children in New York City alone. In California, in a small trade school of 25, 12 are homeless. It goes on and on. This new book, A Solution to Homelessness in Your Town: Valley View Senior Housing, Napa County, California is really the first to come along that tells every town how they can get started. No more excuses, no more “that’s so sad”. The time is now and this book delineates the process necessary to get the job done.

A Solution to Homelessness in Your Town Book Review

By Janet Palmer, Housing Enthusiast, Resident of Quimper Village

We all know what an urban tent city looks like and have seen people living under a freeway overpass, or a shopping cart filled with someone’s entire earthly possessions.  This book, A Solution to Homelessness in Your Town: Valley View Senior Housing, Napa County, California, details how a relatively small town created housing for 100 homeless seniors, many of them American veterans.  Collective agencies with dedicated workers and volunteers share and find resources to pull together and build an attractive cottage community.  The challenging site was scarred by terracing from an abandoned project which inspired the switchback pathway on the hillside.  True to the architect’s roots in cohousing, each small cottage has a front and back yard emphasizing the sense of place in the community instead of a 3-4 story box-like structure.  Each home has a small footprint with a big impact on the lives of these formerly homeless adults.  Homelessness is a problem with a solution and this book delineates step by step how every town can prepare, launch, sail, land, and settle a new place for people without a place, especially important now.   No more excuses, no more not-in-my backyard, no more that’s so sad. Finally, there’s a book with the how-to answers. 

Eighteen Reasons to Love

"New Page Place"

Residents love New Page because it:

1.  Offers attractive, affordable homes and community that support a healthy lifestyle;

2.  Combines commercial space with residential areas, allowing individuals to live next to their office/work space (ideal for the self-employed such as artists and holistic practitioners);

3.  Offers access to open spaces including McGinnis Circle and Delano Park, and walking paths and biking routes, including the FS bike path, Cotati Creek path, and bike tunnel, within blocks; 

4.  Gives quick, easy access to highway as well as adjacent countryside (Highway 101 on-ramps are handy; great regional parks lie within 5 miles). SSU campus (and its public events including world-class performers) -- is only 2.2 miles away, with bike lanes all the way; and

5. Supports a variety of transportation options: community includes two share-cars; property is adjacent to local bus stop, blocks to SF bus, less than 1 mile to train station.

Neighbors love New Page because it:

1.  Creates a vibrant and colorful entry into Cotati, with architecture that complements the FrogSong community (across the street);

2.  Increases pedestrian and biker safety, and the enjoyment of exploring Cotati at a slow pace;

3.  Fills in vacant lot in Cotati core area with multi-use property; reduces litter and improves the land;

4.  Visually improves the area, now a mostly vacant lot -- architect-designed buildings (to include small shops/services/businesses) enhance Cotati's "village" atmosphere;

5.  Adds a sidewalk along the Page Street front; improves parking on ORH;

6.  Has a low carbon footprint; the more-walkable neighborhood reduces car use/public parking pressure/air & noise pollution; and

7.  Uses "green" design (passive solar design/ shared amenities/large green and garden areas) and building materials (e.g., "greencrete" for parking /minimized smart parking spaces/no natural gas)

Cotati loves New Page Place because it:

1.  Uses relatively dense housing in a compact footprint, with ample green space and minimal paving;

2.  Provides "missing middle housing" to help more people enjoy home ownership;

3.  Expands the rental market for self employed/ seniors/students/persons with disability, providing homes for people with a variety of income levels, ages and needs; (New Page offers more than the required number of affordable units);

4.  Contributes to sense of place in Cotati and civic pride, through improved community relations and unique, sustainable design;

5.  Constructs units and grounds that will have lasting economic value.

6.  Socially benefits the community: neighbors know and co-operate with each other; security is improved through shared awareness; sustainable living supports a healthy lifestyle.

How will this affect Cotati?

The project will enhance Cotati’s historic core, contributing to what the long-term City of Cotati plan calls a "delightful downtown experience."

Besides generally improving the land in a sustainable, low-impact, and aesthetically pleasing way, the project encourages transportation other than by cars. While there is off-street, covered parking for residents, the community infrastructure will support biking, walking, sharing cars, and using public transit.

A sidewalk along the Page Street front will encourage pedestrian use (and safety). The thoroughfare along Page Street and ORH will encourage residents from neighborhoods south of Page Street to walk or bike into the core.

How could you get involved?

1. You could invest as a future owner or renter. The group is looking for members who want to live in the community, members who want to buy a unit to rent out, and members who hope to rent. There might be rent-to-buy options, allowing renters to buy their own homes.

2. You could invest in the project. It takes lots of money to develop cohousing. This is an opportunity for you to make a modest financial gain while helping to make cohousing available to those who aren’t usually able to afford it.

3. You could volunteer to help make this vision possible. Help is needed with marketing it, getting the word out, and administration. If any units are still available in early fall, there will be a public presentation.

In order to forge the bonds that are created by the future residents working together to develop their homes, the best time to get involved is now. While the process has already been started, there are still many decisions to be made!

For more information, please email Jasmine Gold at jasmine@spiritgold.com.

Study Group One is NOW available to register!

Study Group 1 (SG1) has been used widely around Denmark and has contributed to the success of senior cohousing communities there. By discussing the different components of aging (including finances, care, and independence) in a small facilitated group, there is more opportunity to get real about the issues. Senior cohousing communities who have gone through SG1 are more likely to get their projects finished more quickly than those who don’t go through SG1.

Study Group One takes a group of people who generally don’t know each other, but each love the notion of aging successfully in community. It provides the tools necessary to become conscious of the issues, out if denial and proactive about your own future. The Danes would say that if you asked 100 seniors if they might want to live in cohousing, maybe one might say yes. But if you ask 100 seniors that had the conscious raising, out-of-denial experiences, and proactive experience of SG1, about 40 would say yes when asked if they would consider growing older in a community where people know each other, care about each other, and support each other. In the process, I get to re-discover the many amazing facets of cohousing—how something so simple as a village life could be such an all-encompassing solution.

Currently, we have about 50 active SG1 Facilitators around the world—a number that needs to grow in order for seniors to reap the benefits of living in a supportive, safe, and fun community.

This year is no different. I am as committed as ever (maybe more committed!) to the concept of aging in place successfully. People are drowning in loneliness and this hemorrhaging of potential happiness needs a tunicate. Cohousing is an anecdote. We will spend time understanding the economics of senior living choices and also how to take charge of co-care, co-healing, and outside assistance.

First and foremost, I want to offer you the opportunity to become an SG1 Facilitator. SG1 Facilitators come from all different backgrounds and have one thing in common: they are passionate about helping seniors in their area. By becoming an SG1 Facilitator this fall and doing SG1 in your area, you will be a key motivator for these people to create the community that they want.

Secondly, I ask you to share this training with at least 2 people you know who might be interested. Post the attached flyer in your break room. Give it to your sister or father. Forward this email to your friends. Keep spreading the word.

If you do not like the options you see on the horizon and know that a care facility is not for you, then consider taking a proactive stance and creating the future you wish to live into.

Join us in learning how to strengthen the bond between body and soul, individual and community and how it all works together—the interlocking roles of community life and quality of life. You will leave this course of study with a greater ability to work effectively to achieve common goals and build consensus—key to establishing a successful cohousing community and an important life skill for any venture.

Sign up today and save $100 ($550 for now, $650 after September 1, 2021):

https://www.cohousingco.com/events/2021/10/6/study-group-1-aging-successfully-online-facilitator-training-2021

I hope to work with you and see you fulfill your senior lifestyle dream.

Best regards,

Chuck Durrett

Creating an Affordable Cohousing Community

(Starts October 8, 2021)

This is a 5-week online course by Foundation for Intentional Community (FIC)

REGISTER NOW

It was a big success in April by FIC to hold a seminar for folks starting a new ecovillage or cohousing and for whom economics is too often a big impediment. There are many nascent cohousing groups in this predicament. This is not about coliving or shared housing, although they certainly happen in cohousing. This is about starting a new $5–15M community.

"I would highly recommend this course to anyone interested in creating cohousing. It was extremely informative, valuable and thought provoking. Lauren was an excellent facilitator and Charles, who is energetic and enthusiastic about his mission to help create communities, was highly knowledgeable, casual, fun, easy to listen to and imparted information in a way that I could understand. The class was packed with tangible details and gave me a good grip on what lies ahead. Thank you for this great introduction to creating an affordable cohousing community!"

-Nancy Bright, a participant from April class