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We welcome blog submittals of cohousing stories, reflections, celebrations and issues. Send them to us, or contact us to become a regular blogger here.

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We Want You...to consider serving on the CoHoUS BOD !

Submitted by KarinCoHoUS on

by Diana Sullivan

Over the last several years I have served on the Cohousing Association of the US Board of Directors and it's
been an absolute delight! My term will be ending the end of this year.
The board meets monthly by phone and with a well-crafted meeting by our executive
director, Karin Hoskin, we move expediently through business on behalf of the
communities within the National Cohousing Association. It's been a delight to work with
my fellow co-housers representing regions around the nation. And during conferences
we've been able to meet and hear more about one another personally as well as our
shared interests in the continued growth of cohousing.

Reused Memories

Submitted by KarinCoHoUS on

I love to see communities reusing old stuff in a unique way.

Recently when visiting Greyrock Commons in Fort Collins Colorado, I had the pleasure of touring their common house. Not only do they have the absolute-most-coolest-ever-indoor-kids-play-area, but they had lovely wooden floors in their dining space. It turns out that I have a long ago connection to those floors as they were recovered during demolition from an old roller rink that I used to skate at when I was a kid!
Another nice reuse was the using of beetle kill pine wood that Wild Sage Cohousing in Boulder, Colorado used when building their bee hives.

What kinds of things has your community reused or upcycled?

Supporting Coho/US: Language for Budget Line Item

Submitted by Alice Alexander on

Alice Alexander, Durham Cohousing (Durham NC)

Supporting Coho/US through annual contributions is a terrific way to ensure our association continues as a connector and clearinghouse to help our communities thrive.

I recently included this language in my Durham Cohousing's budget package as justification for continued annual support to Coho/US. Some of you may find this brief "case for support" helpful:

Thanks and Apologies!

Submitted by catya on

As Technical Director for Coho/US, a rather saddening amount of my time is spent dealing with spammers on this site. This week, I tried out a new way of dealing with the spammers, but WOW did it have a lot of false positives!

So, if you are one of the people I blocked who was a real person (and not one of the hundreds I blocked who was a spammer), MY APOLOGIES!

Better luck next time,

- catya

Public Presentation Addresses Senior LGBT Housing Crisis - Friday Aug 25th 4pm

Submitted by KarinCoHoUS on

press release from Bethany Celio

Public Presentation Addresses Senior LGBT Housing Crisis

Durham, NC— Village Hearth Cohousing invites anyone interested in solving the senior LGBT housing crisis to a free public presentation on Friday, August 25th at 4:00 p.m. at Southwest Regional Library in Durham, NC. The presentation will feature architect and cohousing expert, Charles Durrett (McCamant & Durrett Architects) who, along with Kathryn McCamant (CoHousing Solutions) brought cohousing to the U.S. in the 1980s. To date, McCamant & Durrett Architects (MDA) has designed over 50 cohousing communities and over a dozen senior cohousing communities, including Village Hearth Cohousing.

Best Marketing: Blogging

Submitted by Sharon Villines on

by Sharon Villines

When I saw a blog on a cohousing website, I realized that we have missed the boat on using blogs to market cohousing. By reading the informal accounts of personal and community events, I felt this was a community I could walk into and be perfectly happy. The posts were about things like canning tomatoes, their Royal Bocce Ball tournament, and fears about getting to know people.

That is what people who are considering cohousing want to know. Who are these people and what do they do? Is this a therapy group or what?

What does it feel like to move into a cohousing home you’ve been building for years?

Submitted by KarinCoHoUS on

Ann Lehman

7/31/17

On moving day. What does it feel like to move into a cohousing home you’ve been building for years? Exciting! The movers were friendly and right on time and carried all my boxes and furniture down three flights of stairs to the waiting truck. As the rental apartment I was leaving slowly emptied out, I had worried that I might feel sad to leave, but instead I was giddy with anticipation. When I arrived in my car at my new home, there was small group of cohousing friends there to greet me with open arms, feed me snacks, hold the front doors open, and watch the movers unpacking my belongings! My movers pulled up and I was officially moving in. We learned that the elevator was on emergency power due to a partial power outage at our new building, but at least it was working, unlike the day before.

A NEW LOOK AT GETTING OLDER: INSPIRING ADULTS 55+ TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER AND THE POSITIVE IMPACT IT HAS ON HOUSING AND LIVELIHOOD.

Submitted by KarinCoHoUS on

Article by Charles Durrett and Lindy Sexton

The last nails are being hammered in. Fresh paint still clings to the damp air. In Port Townsend, Washington, residents of the newly-built Quimper Village Senior Cohousing eagerly await moving into the neighborhood that they co-designed. The neighborhood that not only symbolizes their desire to take an active role in their aging scenario, but also their commitment to supporting, listening to, and living in community with each other.

Twin Oaks Communities Conference

Submitted by KarinCoHoUS on

by Sky Blue from Twin Oaks

Cohousing communities, ecovillages, co-ops, and other Intentional communities of all kinds are a response to problems in society. They are a recognition that some of the essentials that make community what it us, mutual support, love and caring, sharing lives and livelihood in a meaningful and satisfying way, are lacking in the world. Not all intentional communities share the same political or social views. Some mirror the trend towards isolationism and protectionism we see politics today.

Camping and Cohousing

Submitted by KarinCoHoUS on

In my younger days, I would backpack into the wilderness to set up camp; then we had kids and began ‘car’ camping; we progressed to a Wildernest camper; our kids got bigger and we upgraded to a small hard sided camper; we missed sleeping outdoors, but our bodies are getting too old to sleep on the ground, so at this stage in our life, we are camping in a pull behind pop-up camper.

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