EVOLUTION OF COHOUSING Connections
Cohousing Connections originated in October 2015 following a public meeting in Belfast at which Stephen Hill, Chair of the UK Cohousing network, spoke and we discussed the potential for cohousing in Northern Ireland. The meeting attracted over 40 people with an interest in cohousing.
Over the next year, we held open meetings where we evolved our thinking about cohousing, our awareness of group development, and collectively identified our Vision and Values from which we created a vision statement. Our Vision and Values underpin what we collectively want from the project and reflect the values and desires of the core group. They include a commitment to genuine affordability, eco-principles, and the creation of a diverse community, as well as information on size, location, and governance.
Over the next year, we held open meetings where we evolved our thinking about cohousing, our awareness of group development, and collectively identified our Vision and Values from which we created a vision statement. Our Vision and Values underpin what we collectively want from the project and reflect the values and desires of the core group. They include a commitment to genuine affordability, eco-principles, and the creation of a diverse community, as well as information on size, location, and governance.
Intentional neighborhood, building our vision:
An integral part of the project is intentionally building a community. As the project gets evermore developed, we decided some key areas where we want diversity. These will be used as some guiding parameters for when we are considering applications for people to be part of the community.
Family composition size:
Different households live different lifestyles; we feel that by seeking different household compositions, the community will be able to offer more support for a whole range of different interests and needs.
Diversity:
We are strongly committed to and passionate about, creating a diverse and inclusive intentional community. This would be reflected in the guiding parameters when we are considering applications for people to be part of the community. We think that dynamic interactions between generations gives a fuller life experience to all those involved. Equally we wish to reflect a gender balance and diversity in terms of disability, gender identity, sexual orientation and ethnic background in building an intentional community.
Working Together:
Since 2015 we have been working together attentively and patiently to build a resilient team and project. We are constituted as an unincorporated association, with a management committee of 7 members, pending a final choice about the most appropriate legal status for our group. We are committed to collaborative communication and clear processes are fundamental to the group's sustainability and enjoying working together as a group. Early on, we decided that a fair, participatory decision making process would support our development, and to date have based that on consensus, and consent, methods we are training ourselves in. Some of our group are focused on creating a cohousing initiative in a rural area, while others of us want to build a cohousing development in Belfast, but we all work together to promote both initiatives and a wider awareness of cohousing. We changed our name from Cohousing NI to Cohousing Connections in March 2019.
Currently we are made up of a number of 'circles' (or working groups). The General Circle (overseeing the wider direction of the project) meets once a month, alternating between Wednesday evenings and a half a day on a Sunday, followed by a pot luck supper. At these open meetings, the circles (at present, on communications, site identification, potential partnerships, rural initiative / urban initiative) update the wider group on progress. All our work to date is done on a voluntary basis, in our spare time.
We recognised that as a group we desired to live in a diverse community: that a community that is created by a group of people who have different experiences, community backgrounds, needs and knowledge would be a stronger community. We felt strongly that as long as someone shared our commitment to our Vision and Values that there should be no aspect of anyone’s identity that should prevent them from participating in the project; what we will be doing is designing an application process that aims to assess commitment to our vision and values, and the requisite emotional health and well-being for living in an intentional commitment.
Financial means:
Our group is committed to finances not being a barrier to participation. Our preferred model at present is that of mutual home ownership, pioneered by LILAC; and we are looking at adopting a similar model with the aim to include those with equity, and those who need to rent their home. Our aim is that rent will be set at genuinely affordable rates, with a goal of no one paying more than 30-35% of their income.
Membership
Full Membership - £50 per household / year. For those people committed to living in a cohousing community, whether rental or owner occupied.
Associate Membership - £30 per household / year. For those people supportive of cohousing initiatives and the local cohousing movement.