Cooperative housing offers a different living situation.
Matthew E. Lindsey
– Staff Writer –
In times of crisis like the current economic downturn and the natural disasters in north county and even worldwide with Japan, it is wise to come together and assist one another. Those who are fortunate enough, with the love and support of the their community, family and friends, have a greater chance for success when costs are split among a group of people rather than an individual carry the full burden.
There is this “different” way of living, where instead of one person or one couple dwelling in one space, you have a type of community atmosphere where several people share the same space in order to save on the costs.
An instructor in the Academic and Writing Centers, Carole Watson (ESL Specialist for six years) spoke on this topic. Watson’s daughter and son-in-law live in a cooperative household in Oakland, Calif., called Mariposa (meaning butterfly), sharing responsibilities of collecting eggs from the chicken coop, honey from bee hives, and gardening. Jessica Watson and her husband Aaron Michel’s community has three buildings on two small lots adjacent to one another. The houses within the buildings are separately owned, divided into condominiums. Jessica and her husband live in the bottom half of the house.
The upstairs in the house is a common area and is often where events take place. Watson said she thought it was quite charming. The condos have two bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room and living room. There is a wide range of residents, mostly in their thirties. There are also some children that live in the cooperative community.
Those in the community feel a sense of togetherness. In today’s technologically driven world, one of the most forgotten elements is community because technology enables us to become physically distant –like the many discourteous texting and Facebook addicts. Many young people might wish to live on their own and they end up missing that chance partly due low finances. Students have costly school loans, parents struggle to keep diapers on their babies, to save money, why not try a new living experience? Students are becoming work horses, punching 40 hours per week at the time clock while at the same time managing a full course load is almost too much to fathom sometimes. It is very helpful to have parents sharing living spaces presently for many students as they helps with some of the daily responsibilities, e.g. laundry, dishes and meals. The idea of compromising and leaving a place that students have called home for so long and getting a new set of benefits based on experience can be quite scary. The unknown in their future is just too much to handle sometimes. It is the compassionate nature of a community that is forgiving in those scary situations. The cooperative housing movement is resourceful and can be related to situations close to home, for example, a brother landing home again safe and sound after delving into the independent life. The economy lately makes it hard to mold a solid foundation to build a life on. The brother now fits in at home with divorced mom taking on the daily life’s tasks and being support for each other. There is a Co-op in St. Louis at The Perry apartment building in Washington University’s Cooperative Housing. On the Co-ops website, it is said that “the neighborhood is awesome.” The setup is very much like Jessica Watson’s community. Modern styled common areas are shared amongst residents and plenty of separate living space for a member’s individual family. It’s possible with the help of the elderly residents as baby sitters for the younger parents in any of these communities, that instantly a nontraditional family could be born. It is time to throw out the generic “American Dream.”
This is a great transition into a new “World Peace Dream.” After changing up your living situation ask a neighbor or two if they would join your efforts in supporting the greater community, by implementing a cooperative housing community and hopefully continue to reach out to help the city, state, country and world. As an old African proverb states, it takes a village to raise a child.
Peace and financial security can be reached through the Cooperative Housing Movement. This is known, one example remembering to incorporate the spirit into ones daily life which may bring brightness to their present and future days. It is with this spirit that I open the doors; in the end, decisions have to be his/her own choice.
