Building Community with Independence

Cohousing is a unique model of living where individuals or families own their private homes while sharing common spaces, resources, and decision-making. It’s a way to balance the desire for independence with the benefits of a supportive community.

In a cohousing community, residents often come together to design their neighborhoods, emphasizing collaboration, sustainability, and shared responsibility. While everyone has their own private home, common areas like gardens, kitchens, and workshops are jointly owned and maintained. This encourages frequent interactions, making it easier to build meaningful connections with your neighbors.

Why Choose Cohousing?

Cohousing brings back the sense of “community” that has faded in many urban settings. It’s an antidote to isolation, offering a network of support while still respecting individual privacy. The benefits include:

• Enhanced Social Connections: Cohousing fosters strong relationships among neighbors, creating a built-in support system.
• Sustainable Living: By sharing resources and spaces, cohousing communities can reduce their environmental footprint. Shared gardens, energy-efficient designs, and carpooling are common practices.
• Affordability: Sharing communal spaces and resources lowers costs. For instance, instead of each household owning their own lawnmower or large appliances, these items can be shared.
• Health and Wellbeing: Living in close-knit communities has been shown to improve mental and emotional well-being by reducing loneliness and fostering a sense of belonging.

Ownership, Democracy & Shared Benefit

A co-operative (or co-op) is a business or organization owned and operated by the people who use its services or who work there. Unlike traditional businesses, co-operatives prioritize people over profit, ensuring that all members have a voice in decision-making and benefit from the organization’s success.

In Canada, co-operatives play a significant role across various sectors, from housing and agriculture to finance and retail. Housing co-operatives, like Killick Ecovillage Co-operative, provide an alternative to conventional homeownership, where the focus is on community living and democratic management.

How Co-operatives Work

At the heart of every co-operative is a commitment to shared decision-making and collective ownership. In a housing co-op, residents are members, and each member has an equal say in how the community is run. This democratic structure fosters transparency, fairness, and shared responsibility.

The Value of Housing Co-operatives

• Affordable Housing: Co-operatives are not-for-profit, meaning housing costs are typically lower than market prices. Members pay to cover the actual costs of the community (maintenance, utilities, etc.), without a landlord profiting from rent.

• Security of Tenure: Members of a housing co-op have more control over their living situation compared to renting. As long as members follow the rules of the co-op, they have secure tenure, ensuring stability.

• Democratic Control: Each member has one vote in decisions about the co-op. This ensures that the community is run by its residents, for the benefit of all. Killick Ecovillage takes this a step further, using sociocractic, consent-based decision-making in our processes.

• Sense of Community: Like cohousing, co-ops often encourage stronger social ties and a more supportive living environment. Members work together to maintain and improve their shared spaces, contributing to a sense of ownership and pride in their community.

In Canada, where housing affordability has become a critical issue, cohousing and cooperatives provide valuable alternatives to market housing. These models offer pathways to more affordable, secure, and sustainable living options, helping to address housing shortages while promoting community values.

In addition, cohousing and co-operatives reflect Canadian principles of inclusivity, democracy, and collective responsibility. They empower individuals to participate in decisions that directly affect their lives, creating communities that are resilient, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of their members.