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About Cohousing
What is cohousing?
We believe that in modern American life, individual isolation has been taken to an extreme and we have become cut off from our neighbors and distanced from one another.
Cohousing seeks to create a community feel...a small private neighborhood where everyone knows one another and feels safe in the community. They also share some resources such as having some meals together.
Some people call it a return to the best of small-town America. Others say it´s like a traditional village or the close-knit neighborhood where they grew up, while futurists call it an altogether new response to the social, economic and environmental realities of today. They´re all right.
Cohousing communities are mini-neighborhoods in which each household enjoys a private home along with convenient access to a "common house" with facilities such as a kitchen, a dining room, and a play room for children. There might also be guest rooms, a home office support center, a lounge/library and space for arts and crafts. Each community is different; each community decides what it wants and can afford, according to the priorities of its residents.
Each home is self-sufficient with a complete kitchen, but resident-cooked dinners are often available in the common house for those who wish to participate. Adults usually join a volunteer cooking or cleanup team once or twice a month.
Cohousing communities are designed, planned and managed with a high degree of resident participation. They often include a multigenerational mix of singles, couples, familes with children, and elders.
First started in Denmark more than 20 years ago, cohousing has recently come to the U.S. with 58 cohousing communities completed, 19 under construction and at least 130 in the planning stages.
Cohousing provides personal privacy combined with the benefits of living in a community. Like neighborhoods of yesteryear, people know their neighbors and help each other out. But cohousing is not just an exercise in nostalgia—it´s about living in a way that´s appropriate for a world that has changed dramatically in a generation. It´s a world in which families have changed, women are part of the labor force, environmental concerns are on the rise, and many people are feeling overextended. The Big Time Crunch, combined with the enforced isolation of traditional housing, makes it difficult to get together with friends as often as we'd like.
Cohousing will not solve all of our problems—but it´s part of the answer. The time has come to create a better place to live, a place where we know our neighbors, a place where we can enjoy a rich sense of community and contribute to a more sustainable world.
Download the free flyers below about Cohousing from the
national cohousing association of america (cohousing.org)
Letter fold brochure
Low resolution (120K)
Faster download for modem users,
viewable onscreen
or
Medium resolution (1.6 MB)
Best quality for printing
Low resolution brochure(148K)
Faster download for modem users,
viewable onscreen
or
Medium resolution(1.8 MB)
Best quality for printing
To learn more about cohousing in general, visit the website of the
Cohousing Association of the United States.
Cohousing is a neighborhood concept designed to foster a sense of community between neighbors. By balancing community and personal privacy, cohousing is a chance to create a modern village in an urban setting. It usually has 15-35 homes and a common house. Residents own their own homes and can gather in common areas to share meals and spontaneously socialize. An increasingly popular form of housing in both Europe and North America, cohousing addresses and alleviates many of the demands and pressures of modern life. Residents have found everything, from child rearing to aging at home, is easier with the help of your neighbors.
Every cohousing community is slightly different. Some have some shared values and some don't. For Femquility, you must be in agreement with the principles of cohousing and with our core values.Some benefits of cohousing:
Cohousing offers security. You can relax knowing that your neighbors are watching after the neighborhood and will be there for you in a time of need.
Cohousing offers social opportunities. You can have wonderful and meaningful interactions with your neighbors just by sitting on your porch or walking to your car.
Cohousing is a supportive place for kids to grow up . Kids not only have the opportunity to make friends with other kids but also with adults of all ages. You also know other adults in the neighborhood will be there for them in case of need.
Cohousing is a great place to collaborate with people who share similar interests. In addition to being among likeminded people interested in the Female-led lifestyle like you, also small groups can form revolving around shared common interests such as cooking, painting, gardening, music, etc.
Cohousing meals provide a way for neighbors to spend time with each other on a regular basis. The conversations at community meals are a key ingredient in building community as neighbors have the opportunity to learn about each other, hear what is going on in other lives, and discuss ideas.Cohousing creates a way to share ownership of items. Communities often share amenities like movies, transportation, play structures, tools, books, etc.
Cohousing creates a sense of togetherness and belonging. You will be a part of something that is more intimate, supportive and a model for a better way to live.
Related websites
www.ic.org
Intentional Communities web site - the source for community information since 1994.Communities Directory
The central resource for finding communities in the U.S. and around the world.www.cohousing.org
The Cohousing Association of the United States (Coho/US) web site featuring up to date lists of cohousing communities across N. America, news, events, resources & moreCommunities Magazine
Journal of cooperative living since 1972. A quarterly publication of the Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC).
If you would like to be involved with Femquility, Join Us
"I think the day of selfishness is over; the day of really working together has come, and we must learn to work together, all of us,
regardless of race or creed or color."
-Eleanor Roosevelt
