You're curious about cohousing, or you're part of a forming group at the early stages.
Where do you start?
1.

Learn as much as you can
2018 Canadian Cohousing Conference:
Cohousing 101
Presented by Lysa Dixon and Kathy McGrenera
2.

Take action
  • Start by creating connections! Spread the word and discuss the idea of cohousing
  • ​Host a social or potluck, either at your home or at a local community centre
  • Expand your horizons - recruit widely, because interested folks will find your group from all corners
  • Let people know how to find you!
2018 Canadian Cohousing Conference:
Growing Up in Cohousing
Moderated by Paul Cottle
Panelists Elise, Ethan, Evan and Seth
3.

Build a core group
  • Create a welcoming atmosphere
    • Have fun together! The social connections and relationships are what holds groups together.
    • Be attached, but not too attached: remember that every single cohousing group loses members for a wide variety of reasons.
    • Community building exercises - check out Tree Bressen’s website or Gamestorming.
  • Move at the right pace
    • Patience and perseverance are key
    • Don’t pressure people to make quick decisions, but don’t drag things out (remembering that the pace of decisions will accelerate dramatically as you move forward).
  • Unite your core group
    • Who is committed to spending time, money and energy?
    • Create a ‘core group’ of founding members, so the work is shared; you don’t want your group’s burning soul to burn out!
    • Founding members tend to have leadership qualities, and can live with uncertainty and ambiguity; both detail-oriented and big-picture people are key.
2018 Canadian Cohousing Conference:
Burning Souls: The Fire to Start Cohousing
Moderated by Lysa Dixon
​Panelists Gary Kent, Carol Macquarrie and Ericka Stephens-Rennie
4.

Give your group structure
  • Vision and values
    • What is the goal or vision for your cohousing group?
    • What route will you take to achieve this goal?
    • What are your community values?
  • Membership
    • Who are members? What is the process to become a member?  Does membership require specific qualifications or contributions?
    • What is the initial financial contribution?  Most groups collect small fees to cover incidental costs (e.g. room rental, child care, printing, website), but keep costs proportionate to the group’s progress.
  • Group decision-making
    • How are decisions made? Who participates in making decisions?
    • Research consensus decision making and sociocracy.
    • Practice your group decision-making technique on ‘easy’ topics like socials and meeting logistics.
    • How will you resolve conflicts?
  • Meeting logistics
    • How will you schedule and run meetings? Will the role of facilitator rotate?
  • Communicating information
    • How will you keep records?  Who takes notes, and how are they distributed and stored?
    • How will you bring new members up to speed?  Will you use a ‘buddy’ system?  Will you have an orientation system or a document containing background info?
5.

Get help when you need it
  • Your group members won’t have the exact skills required to complete a development project on time and on budget: you will need many kinds of help!  Help may range from basic logistics to support your group, to meeting facilitation, to financial feasibility, to municipal zoning research, and onwards through the development process.
  • ​Some cohousing groups go through their early days without professional help, but most cohousing groups find that hiring professionals makes the group’s vision more ‘real’, which solidifies members’ commitment, and helps the group to be more efficient (not to mention avoiding pitfalls or spinning their wheels!).
  • Remember that your group needs a solid foundation; no one consultant can provide the glue for your group.
  • Cohousing consultants (such as Hive & House) are available to help with discrete pieces of work (e.g. a vision and values workshop) or for ongoing project management.