Posted in Blog, Conversations, Housing on Sep 10th, 2010
The young girl fell in love with my dog one Sunday morning. Charlie Barlie, world’s best dog in the world, is a looker, exceptionally sweet and accustomed to being fussed over. Nevertheless, her swoon had a lonely ache to it. Perhaps I projected my own issues, psychically connected with her, or both. An astrological reading [...]
The idea of sharing a home strikes fear in many hearts. Privacy concerns, and the painful residue of having lived with others, eliminates it as an option for many people. There are hundreds of reasons for this, but it boils down to one: fear. As the economic collapse grinds on, people will move in with [...]
I’ve looked and looked. Maybe it’s out there and I just haven’t seen it. Where is the short term housing that we desperately need? The safe, affordable, possibly short term, housing that gives people a breather. The number of people standing at the precipice of homelessness, and falling into it, numbs my mind! A lot [...]
Does the economic collapse have within it the seeds of social change that will set us on a path to a more stable society? Just as the seeds of certain pine trees are released only by the heat of a forest fire, this collapse is forcing many to consider alternatives they would not have considered [...]
When Janet’s marriage ended in divorce, her Nebraska house sold quickly, requiring that she relocate with two very young children within two weeks. She wisely turned to her friend, Kay, whose marriage had also recently ended. Janet and the children moved in with Kay and her four children and they both considered their options. Tax [...]
Posted in Housing Resources - national on Feb 28th, 2010
The National Association of Housing Cooperatives (NHAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit national federation of housing cooperatives, mutual housing associations, other resident-owned or controlled housing, professionals, organizations, and individuals interested in promoting the interests of cooperative housing communities. Incorporated in 1960, NAHC is the only national cooperative housing organization. The North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO) Mission [...]
Two shared housing co-ops both used the word “joy” to describe their households. That should tell you something.
I often write about communities gathering monthly to brainstorm for solutions, particularly housing, that can lead to easier lives. A reader responded to Bungalow with a shared kitchen – a true story asking: I’m interested in the formal aspects of relationships among house-sharers. If one person is a homeowner, does a landlord/tenant relationship exist? Are [...]
An odd twist of circumstances led me to live for two months in a bungalow where I shared a kitchen with two other housing units. A Punjabi Indian couple, completing their residencies at local hospitals, lived on the first floor with their beautiful eight-month-old daughter. An engineer lived in the basement apartment, a refugee from [...]
Two couples, one twenty years older than the other, bought a large vintage home on Chicago’s south side, near the University of Chicago, in the 1970′s. Six adults combined resources and made a commitment to live graciously and harmoniously together. Sometimes the harmonious part was a stretch. Over dinner in March 2003, the owners described [...]