Building an Inclusive Community: The AHIC Experience.

Saturday 3:15 – 4:15 pm
During the development stage of Coho Ecovillage, members formed a nonprofit organization called A Home in Community (AHIC). AHIC helps people with physical disabilities find homes in cohousing communities by:

• Educating communities and people living with disabilities about the benefits of living in community together.
• Providing information and support that makes it happen.
• Partnering with cohousing communities to create subsidized rental opportunities for low-income adults with disabilities.

For our first campaign, A Home for Mike, we have purchased a unit in CoHo Ecovillage which will always be rented at subsidized rates to adults with disabilities wishing to live in this community. This presentation will describe the process of forming and operating AHIC, the steps to fund and manage A Home for Mike, and lessons learned to date.

AUDIENCE: Forming groups and residents of established groups

PRESENTER: Robert Dietz is the executive director of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy. His career focus is environmental and economic sustainability with a bit of conservation biology thrown into the mix. He lives with his wife and daughter at Coho Ecovillage in Corvallis, Oregon. He serves as a member of the board of directors of A Home in Community.