Observing Covid-19 safety measures hasn’t stopped Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing from experiencing community.  They’ve shared these images of community in Covid times. Distanced eating in small groups – outdoors has been a boon over the summer months. We’re working on creative solutions for the colder/wetter months in Seattle. We purchased a $50 movie screen that... Read More

Who could have predicted a pandemic, right? I mean, we all know that unexpected things will come up when you are working on a project as big as a cohousing community, but a pandemic? How on earth do you do any marketing when you can’t meet with people? That is the dilemma we find ourselves... Read More

Looking for a way to stay connected through Covid? Read on for one idea from a forming community, including the invitation template you can use to do this in your community! Recently, Bay State Commons members gathered together (virtually, of course!) to share memories of important trips. WOW, our people do love to travel! From... Read More

Cohousing is not only about the things we do together; it is also about the things we do alone. One of the major traits of cohousing, as an example of community living, is the ability to be alone. Cohousing has private homes, most commonly homes we own.  Individual household’s personal space is a distinguishing characteristic... Read More

After living in cohousing for 15 years I moved to an independent living community for health reasons.  I’d been satisfied with my choice until the Covid-19 virus hit. All the shared living spaces in my new community were shut down, leaving the residents no way to connect.  The manager of our community is very ineffective... Read More

Karen Gimnig was with us for a WebChat last week with a new look at conflict in community and in life.  While conflict is not always welcome and rarely easy, she suggested that we can embrace conflict as an opportunity to grow.  Conflict arises when something in us that is ready to grow, or finish... Read

Does your community have work days? Why? That second question matters and may be worthy of review. In the broader culture of the US, there is a lot of focus on tasks, work and material accomplishments. This is good. We like beautiful flower beds, roofs that don’t leak and clean common house kitchens. The work...

Cohousing community members begin with some basic assumptions. We expect to do some downsizing. We know we will be sharing space and will need to make some comprises about how we use that space. We plan to reduce our impact on the planet and increase our social connections. These tend to be shared assumptions and... Read More

What a great conversation to start off 2019. Ronnie Rosenbaum gave a clear and thoughtful presentation on communication in cohousing with so many tangible ideas to start using right away. Watch the full WebChat at this link: https://youtu.be/qVSvPCcHCMI Ronnie spoke on two primary points: 1. Individual Communication Skills – goal is connection – focus on... Read More