Healing houses

I came to the Cohousing Co-operative not knowing much about cohousing or co-operatives. I needed affordable housing as a newly single mother with two teenagers and a kind friend offered me her house as a sublet.

I have since become a member and resided here for 5 1/2 years.

Without sounding cliched, the co-op structure and community has provided myself and my family a space to heal, to grow, to form supportive lifelong relationships and to up-skill in various aspects of my work and personal life. 

I have been able to do a UTAS Master of Social Work providing me with employment satisfaction and security. My children have spent their formative years watching myself work collaboratively with others and persist through challenges to achieve mutually agreed objectives. There have been supportive neighbours to watch my kids (and me!) when needed.

The co-op has provided security and stability to me and my family through one of the most challenging times for housing affordability in recent history. To know you have security of tenure means you can reliably plan your future. To have reasonable ‘rental’ costs means you can provide for your family and even commit to studying and bettering yourself.  The stability and sense of community that the co-op provided throughout the COVID lock downs made that awful time less awful. The beauty and environment- with access to the bush and the mountain somehow can heal broken hearts and calm a stressed mind.

Don’t get me wrong- living at the Co-op is HARD WORK. The running of the co-op requires members to participate, you make agreements and have obligations to fulfill. We effectively run a business to provide and maintain affordable housing to 13 households. We work through consensus decision making- a long considered process which has its fair share of conflict at times. I am a better because of these processes.  I am a better person for knowing that the hard work I put in will benefit others. How I look after and improve my house and those of others and communal areas will benefit others now and in the future.

I am forever grateful for my dear friend who gave me the opportunity to live in this community. A community built with purpose to create and maintain human connections, provide affordable housing, and reap the benefits of co-operation.

Member statement 04/05/2024.