Twin Cities Cohousing Network – Minneapolis/Saint Paul metropolitan area

Cohousing 101–key benefits, common coho types, local cohousing initiatives

Housing ownership is a key wealth-building strategy for people in America, and everyone seems to be looking for a greater sense of community where they live.

Cohousing–condo or townhome communities that are collectively designed, built and managed–is a fairly recent addition to the Twin Cities housing landscape.

Learn about local existing and new cohousing initiatives, and get a general overview of what cohousing is, its key benefits, and some variations on the cohousing model. Bring your curiosity and your questions. All are welcome.

Register now for this chance to connect with others seeking a more satisfying, stable and interconnected form of housing.

Wed., Nov. 13, 2019

Optional potluck 6 pm

Program starts at 6:45 pm. Cost to attend is $8.00. Preregistration and payment helps us but is not mandatory. You may pay at the door.

Location: St Frances Cabrini Church

1500 Franklin Ave SE (on the east side of the river)

Minneapolis

Free parking on the east side of the building, and on neighborhood streets.

After a summary of the basic features of cohousing, including short videos, we will cover a capsule history of cohousing in the United States before opening the floor so you can meet folks who have formed core groups for developing their own close-knit cohousing communities.
We will end with a round of Cohousing Jeopardy.

Registration link.

Free childcare will be made available but only on advance request. Contact us at twincities@cohousing.org by Nov. 6 to arrange.

Twin Cites Cohousing Network is a 501c(3) organization that educates about cohousing and provides related networking opportunities in the Twin Cities area.

Affordable cohousing – how we can make it happen (Sept 19, 2019)

Speaker: Barbara Bailey, Partnership for Affordable Cohousing

Many people wonder if affordable cohousing is an unreachable ideal. Barbara Bailey, Partnerships for Affordable Cohousing, is coming up from Iowa to talk with us on Sept. 19th about why and how it is feasible.

Barbara recently retired from The Housing Fellowship, a non-profit affordable housing developer, where she worked first as an independent accounting professional, and then as the finance manager. She worked in the fields of non-profit business and financial management for more than 35 years, and is certified by the National Development Council as a Housing Development Finance Professional. Barbara lives in Prairie Hill Cohousing a community that she helped found in Iowa City, IA.

Register to attend and engage with our guest speaker as she provides ideas for bringing cohousing within reach of people with modest means. We hope you will contribute some of your own ideas and questions to the discussion following the presentation.

Doors open 5:30 pm
Optional potluck 6:00 pm (please bring a dish to share)
Program 6:45 – 8:15 pm
Clean up 8:30-9:00 pm

Cost to attend the program: $8
Free childcare

Registrations are now open at this link.

Barbara Bailey, with Partnership for Affordable Cohousing and resident of Prairie Hill Cohousing in Iowa City, is speaking at the Sept. 19th TCCN event on affordable cohousing

Getting your cohousing story out – May 2 – marketing essentials for early stage group formation

How to Get Your Cohousing Story Out: Skills You Need to Grow Your Group. Panel discussion with workshopping on Thurs., May 2, 2019. Register now.

You’ll get practice in the skills presented, and come away with an uplifting elevator speech about your project and phone tips for how to connect with people without pushback. Optional potluck and social time, 6 pm. Program starts around 6:45 pm. All are welcome. Cost is $8.00.

Panel discussion with Ken Fox, Peter Piché, Becca Brackett, and Brian PaStarr. Register.

[Some of these techniques were shared by Shelly Parks of CoVision at Bassett Creek cohousing core group’s marketing workshop in October.]

LOCATION:
Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church
420 Cedar Lake Rd, Minneapolis.
Cost $8.00.
Free childcare provided in the adjoining nursery room. Parents might wish to bring things that they know their child enjoys.
Enter via main south entrance door, near the accessibility ramp; look for the Twin Cities Cohousing Network banner.

DETAILS ABOUT THE OPTIONAL (but encouraged) POTLUCK:
If you’d like to participate in the optional potluck* and social time preceding the presentation, please bring a dish to share.

Group meals are a key feature of cohousing communities, which is why we include them as an option prior to our quarterly presentations and encourage people to attend that if they are able. TCCN provides water, coffee and tea. You’re welcome to bring a non-alcoholic beverage of choice for yourself, or to share.

*A potluck meal is “a meal at which attendees bring food that is donated and shared by the attendees” (MN Dpt. of Health).

SCHEDULE FOR THE EVENING:
Gather 5:30 pm
Meal 6:00 pm
Program 6:45 -8:15 pm (times approximate)
Clean up 8:30-9:00 pm.

A NOTE ABOUT THE $8 COST: A donation of $8 is requested for each adult. There is no charge for children. Donations are accepted in advance or at the door. All donations support the programs and other educational work of Twin Cities Cohousing Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. No funds collected are payment for the shared potluck meal or in exchange for food provided.

This is the quarterly presentation and potluck of Twin Cities Cohousing Network. Reach us via email at twincities [at] cohousing [dot]org or at our website tccoho.org.

Sociocracy – circles, rounds and consent | Feb. 21

Lynn Englund, local Sociocracy trainer, presents on Thurs., Feb. 21, 2019 the three foundational tools that are part of this common governance system that’s used in some self-managed cohousing communities.

These tools are: rounds, circles and the practice of consent in small group decision-making.

Informal networking will happen during the potluck that precedes the program.

Registration is open now. Optional potluck at 6 pm, program at 6:45 pm.

“I would love meetings if they didn’t have people…”

Does your group have lofty ambitions but struggle with making and following through on decisions? Learn the basics of Sociocracy, a system that distributes authority and helps groups to optimize their meeting time. This form of decision-making and governance allows all voices to be heard.

Doors open 5:30 pm
Potluck 6:00 pm
Program at 6:45 pm

Location: Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 420 Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis

Presenter: Lynn Englund is an educator and trainer in the areas of group process and governance.

Resource links:

Sociocracy.info – prolific author & cohousing resident Sharon Villines’ blog about improving democratic processes
SociocracyForAll.org – nonprofit offering Sociocracy training & resources

Contact TCCN at twincities@cohousing.org

This is the quarterly program meeting of Twin Cities Cohousing Network (TCCN), a nonprofit organization that educates about cohousing and provides related networking opportunities in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Nov 15 – Cohousing: from dreams to reality…a Madison, WI experience

Sometimes core groups form, but then disband. What distinguishes the groups that make cohousing happen? Here’s one example of a group that is now all moved in. How did they do it? Hear their stories, and bring your questions.

Details and registration.

Let’s give a warm Minnesota welcome to our three guests from Arboretum Cohousing in Madison who will be driving up to talk with all of us on Thurs., Nov. 15, 2018.

Guest panelists:
Janet Murphy, Janet Kelly, and Karen Ecklund
all from Arboretum Cohousing in Madison, WI

Thurs., Nov. 15, 2018 at 7:00 pm. Register now.

This is the last in the 2018 series of Twin Cities Cohousing Network’s quarterly presentations. (There is an optional potluck reception at 5:30 pm–if attending the potluck supper, please bring a dish to share.)

Program registration starts at 6:30 pm
Program begins at 7:00 pm
Cost for the program: $8.00

Program location:

Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church
420 Cedar Lake Rd
Minneapolis

Sign up for the TCCN e-newsletter, and learn of future events. Or, reach us via email at twincities [at] cohousing [dot] org.

September program meeting: Raising Children in Cohousing

Save the date, and plan now to attend our quarterly program meeting on September 20. Our guest panelists will be two parents from Monterey Cohousing. The topic is Raising Children in Cohousing.

As the adage says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” How does that work and what does it feel like when the village includes other parents, kids and the bigger circle of a cohousing community? This session can help you decide if you might prefer a multi-generational cohousing community, or one that is limited in some way.

Join us for this TCCN quarterly presentation and potluck on Thurs., Sept. 20, 2018 at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 420 S Cedar Lake Rd, Minneapolis.

Mingle at 5:30 pm, dinner at 6:00 pm. Cost: $8.00.

All are welcome!

See you there!

Monterey Cohousing is a cooperative cohousing community in St. Louis Park, MN.

May 10 potluck info meeting: Building Community in Different Ways

Join us Thurs., May 10, 2018 for “Building Community in Different Ways,” as we explore ways people can live together as a harmonious group. We are featuring a panel of three speakers: John Kalmon, a local architect versed in cohousing; Lindsey Flicker, outreach representative for Camphill Village MN; and Tom Pierson, independent cooperatives consultant who is on several co-op boards and will speak about cooperative living. Cost is $8.00. Bring a dish to share and enjoy a potluck meal.

So that organizers can set up the room appropriately, please register and pay at this link. A limited number of registrations will be taken at the door. Join us for an informative evening, good food and camaraderie.

*NEW* Location: Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 420 S Cedar Lake Rd, Minneapolis.

Schedule for the evening:

5:30 pm – doors open
6:00-6:45 pm – meal
6:45-8:30 pm – panel discussion
8:30-9:00 pm – clean-up

See you there!

church building with lawn and trees — Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church – plenty of free on-street parking

Potluck + Intro to Cohousing Info Session – March 8th

group of people standing holding beverages — Join us on March 8th to learn about cohousing

Welcome! The next potluck information session about cohousing is Thurs., March 8, 2018. Join us to find out about the cohousing concept, ask questions, and meet other people who are also exploring this neighborly housing option.

Doors open 5:30 pm, meal starts at 6 pm. Please bring a dish to pass.

Your pre-registration is appreciated, and helps us to plan.

NEW LOCATION! Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 420 Cedar Lake Rd S, Minneapolis. Free on-street parking in the vicinity of the church.

Register now for annual meeting at Gandhi Mahal – Tu Feb 20 at 5:30pm

Ken Fox, a member and resident of Monterey Cohousing, is the featured speaker.

Join us at Gandhi Mahal restaurant for this special gathering of Twin Cities Cohousing Network on Tues., Feb. 20, 2018 starting at 5:30 pm.

Our speaker for this year’s annual meeting is Ken Fox, a long-time member of Monterey Cohousing Community in St Louis Park.

Ken Fox standing in a snowy yard with Monterey Cohousing's main building behind him — Ken Fox from Monterey Cohousing

Come for conversation, good food, and a chance to learn more about this human-centric housing form. A vegetarian and a chicken dinner option will be available.

Please register now at this link. We look forward to seeing you!

Gandhi Mahal was voted the Best Indian Restaurant 2017 by MPLS/St Paul Magazine.

Passive House and Net-Zero Energy: guest presentation Nov 9

Architect Mark Carsten Anderson will bring us up to speed on the basics of Passive House and Net-Zero Energy high-efficiency energy standards for buildings, and why we might care. Q&A with a builder he’s worked with afterward.

Enjoy a potluck supper with others starting at 6 pm. Please register and pay in advance so that we can arrange the space appropriately.

TCCN members $8/non-members $10. Also, deals for families.

If you’d like to help set up for the event, show up around 5:30 pm. Or if you can, plan to stay and help clean up at the end. Pitching in to help is a good way to get to know others who also are exploring cohousing.