First of its scale and kind, the 500 Communities Program is a program created by Katie McCamant, one of the founders and significant figures of cohousing in the United States. Community is more valuable than ever in the wake of post-pandemic isolationism. While creating a cohousing community is often an exciting solution, many seekers are immediately met with an off-the-beaten-path world of questions and roadblocks. These issues cause people to quit before they can even start. Katie McCamant saw this issue, and created the program in her company, CoHousing Solutions, specifically designed for those who are creating or working professionally with cohousing communities.
This 12 month intensive course is designed to expand the professional support for those who are establishing new cohousing communities. Professionals who join the program arrive from a variety of backgrounds; from credit union higher-ups, architects, and real estate workers, to healthcare experts and nonprofit leaders– all come together to pool their strengths and to gain a deep understanding of the processes involved within developing a cohousing settlement from scratch.
The curriculum is extensive, emphasizing the big picture aspects first: feasibility and community outreach. Once the groundwork is laid, more complex topics such as approaching local developers, getting municipal approval, setting up mortgages, and managing a budget are explored in a practical manner with many case studies. 500 Communities participants have many opportunities to engage with the cohousing movement. That includes in-person events such as the biannual cohousing conference, the kickoff retreat in Nevada, and visiting thriving cohousing communities. Also relationships are established through webinars, small class discussions, one-on-one mentorship with Katie, and monthly calls.
Upon completion, graduates will attain the title of “Certified Cohousing Consultant” and will have the opportunity to continue working with CoHousing Solutions to receive ongoing benefits. Christina Marshall, a graduate of this program and founder of Kinni Cohousing in River Falls, WI, said the most valuable features of the program for her were both the connections she made and the credibility she garnered. It was invaluable to her that she could interact with people who were supportive of her ideas and those who knew how to realize them.
In fact, Alastair Townsend, a globally accomplished architect and experienced real estate professional, is lending his abilities to Kinni cohousing due to a connection formed during the program. Moreover, completing the program allowed her to start assisting emerging communities such as Forest Glen at Highland Lake (Flatrock, NC) and Dakota Prairie Commons (Vermillion, SD) with their goals, due to the skills and experience she had gained during the program. While the results of the 500 Communities Program are not measured, it is certainly evident that it has centralized and enhanced the knowledge on the creation of cohousing, something not easily measured.
by Maria Delwiche