Once the sale of the Tivoli Housing Co-op was complete in 2014, the Common Fire Foundation shifted its focus dramatically, limiting itself to providing basic support for the Beacon Co-Housing community. The Foundation previously had a much more expansive vision of helping to support the creation of numerous intentional communities nationwide that shared our values related to communities as a foundation for personal and collective transformation. The information on this page represents our PREVIOUS more expansive vision and is provided here in the hopes that it may help to support or inspire other people’s efforts in this field.
A housing co-op is a large house specifically designed to be shared by a number of people who wish to live together. This one is designed for 11 people. It is a beautiful building located on 36 acres of land. It has three residential wings, each with 2 or 3 bedrooms and a bathroom (one handicapped accessible). The bedrooms all have large windows and lots of natural light, forest views, and access to a courtyard or balcony. There is a shared main entrance and a central kitchen, dining room, two living rooms and a porch. There is a small guest room.
One part of living in a co-op is sharing responsibility for things like shopping, cooking and cleaning. This allows everyone to save time. Living in a co-op also means shared rights, so those of us living here make decisions for ourselves about how to split up responsibilities and deal with issues that arise. It means we also have equal say in selecting new residents as spaces open up.
And because the co-op is owned by a non-profit, living here is slightly more affordable than the average housing in the area. Residents share the basic monthly expenses -- nobody makes a profit. And by buying food in bulk we save a lot of money on food.
Click here for more detailed information on housing co-ops and co-ops in general.
Continue:
- The Purpose
A Housing Co-op?