Cohousing Association

A group of Coho/US members attending the 2003 national conference toured Colorado communities, including Harmony Village in Golden, CO. (Photo by Evangeline Welch)

Mission

The Cohousing Association of the United States advances cohousing by providing assistance to forming and existing cohousing communities. This is accomplished through a robust network of skilled people, accurate information, access to technical assistance, and ongoing research.

We are committed to integrating the needs and hopes of all champions of cohousing. We believe that we can accomplish this mission on a realistic budget, through the work of many volunteers and through modest staffing. Working together, we can make a significant difference.

You can read our Annual Report, or our Strategic Plan for a deeper understanding of our priorities during the next few years.

Our ongoing services and programs include:

• Cohousing.org website - the largest, most-active cohousing website in the world.
• Workshops - including Online Webinars and Telephone Call-Ins
• Cohousing Tours
• National Cohousing Conferences
• Cohousing Directory - definitive access to built and forming cohousing communities
• Expand, update and enrich our website
• Contact database of people interested and involved in cohousing
• Outreach and PR
• Regional cohousing gatherings
• Partnerships with aligned groups
• Other educational activities

Use our free marketing brochure to spread the word about cohousing!
Coho/US relies on contributions as our primary source of revenue.

History

• 1988: Charles Durrett and Kathryn McCamant introduce cohousing to the United States
• 1997: At the National Cohousing Conference in Seattle, the board of the Colorado-based Rocky Mountain Cohousing Association offered its non-profit status to the conference participants, along with bylaw changes that expanded the board and modified the focus from regional to national. giving birth to The Cohousing Network
• 2003: The name was changed to Cohousing Association of the United States (Coho/US) to better reflect our expanded mission and scope. The board of directors transformed the Association from a traditional, fee-based member organization to a donor-supported organization. Rather than focusing on individual member benefits, we seek to promote and advance cohousing more broadly. The Association today defines its value by its success in raising the awareness of cohousing, the information we supply to potential cohousers, and the network of mutual support we can foster among existing communities and professionals who develop, design and build cohousing neighborhoods.
• 2008: At the 2008 National Cohousing Conference, Coho/US documents 113 occupied cohousing communiites across the United States