Pulling together enough members with enough money to build a community is getting easier, but it remains a key challenge for most groups at some point in formation.
In simplest terms, creating a cohousing community requires two basic resources: money and members. The huge majority of existing communities, and those now in formation, are funded by members from the very beginning. This means that members and money come together. Getting good at attracting them will be essential to the success of your project. There is interest in other models, such as developer-led cohousing or grant funding, but these are unusual.
Early on, a large percentage of time and effort will go into attracting members and their financial investment to your project. The good news is that cohousing is growing in popularity and gaining media attention. There are more and more people who know about cohousing and are interested in the concept, though they will need you to help them become ready to invest financially in a new project. You will need a core group of three to five households who are willing to take that leap of faith and invest a few thousand dollars to create an initial budget that will allow you to hire consultants and market your project to new members.
