Tell me more about cohousing

Send us a message! Send us a message! In Episode 56 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika talk about the community events that took place in December and share the experiences of the year-end first ever site visit for Friends and Family, followed by a public Open House. It was so successful they are doing it again on Feb 8. Click here to sign up for that one, if you're curious: https://mailchi.mp/a7b...

Send us a message! In honor of our friend, Laird Schaub, a man who brought clarity to the clueless, humor to tough situations, and a path forward for those of us hoping to live in a more cooperative culture, we'd like to replay our interview from our first season.  The discussion begins with an explanation of cooperative culture and how it compares to a competitive environment and then they e...

Send us a message! Cohousing.org , has a t-shirt campaign right now declaring Common Meals Will Save The World. In Episode 54 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika review the newly launched community dinner program at CoHousing Houston. After two Meatless Mondays, they have some ideas about what has worked and what could be tweaked. If you're in town, come check it out! For more information about CoH...

Send us a message! In Episode 53 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika dream up the future neighbors they are seeking to fill the remaining spaces in their community. From toddlers, to curious 30-somethings, to the person who makes you laugh, to the person who inspires you to live more sustainably and many others. Listen in to hear how they assemble the dream team. Maybe one of them is you!? For more info...

Send us a message! In Episode 52 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika are fresh off a stint at the farmers' market where they talked to tons of people about cohousing. They bring the questions people have and their answers to the recording. Truly, this is "Tell Me More About CoHousing"! For more information about CoHousing Houston, please check out our website at www.cohousinghouston.com ....

Send us a message! In Episode 51 Lynn Morstead interviews HAUS Project member, Matteo Roberts , about the history of this unique Houston cooperative and his experiences in cooperative living, for the first time in his life. The mission of the HAUS project is " to provide affordable housing operated cooperatively by residents with greener, more sustainable lifestyle options. We strive to educa...

Send us a message! In Episode 50 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika talk a little more about one of the pieces of advice that Katie McCamant offered about living in community last week. She is a big believer in working things out with neighbors by starting with a conversation. It is often difficult for the "default" action to be having a conversation but it is so very powerful. For more infor...

Send us a message! In Episode 49 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika talk to Katie McCamant of CoHousing Solutions about her experience at the 2024 National Cohousing Conference in Denver. Katie talks about the national association's ongoing interest in affordability in cohousing as well as a move to broaden the age and diversity of the cohousing concept. She mentions some interesting ideas for how...

Send us a message! In Episode 48 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika talk about recent changes in the real estate landscape and how those larger trends do or don't apply to cohousing homes.   For more information about CoHousing Houston, please check out our website at www.cohousinghouston.com . Let us know if you have any comments or ideas by emailing us at info@cohousinghouston.com . 

Send us a message! In Episode 47 Lynn Morstead interviews long-standing member, Margie Ortega , about the unique team that she has spearheaded during our community development phase of our project. It's called the "Neighborhood Engagement" team. In this interview Margie talks about how this group was started, how she has launched the team and what her aspirations are for our cohousi...

Send us a message! In Episode 46 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead interview Amiss Baucum, currently doing a Master's program in Urbanism and Societal Change at the Royal Danish Academy of Architecture. Amiss grew up in Louisiana in a tight community, which informs his interest in the value of connection and the importance of designing for interaction with the people living around us. They cover...

Send us a message! In Episode 45 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead conduct a review of the Recommended Top 10 Agreements to have in place before moving in, and take a stab at assessing how their community is doing on this list. For more information about CoHousing Houston, please check out our website at www.cohousinghouston.com . Let us know if you have any comments or ideas by emailing us at info@co...

Send us a message! In Episode 44  Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead talk to a member of their community, Cate Springer, about her experience at the national cohousing conference. She's an architect who is interested in how to live differently... and she's in the middle of a journey visiting cohousing communities. Come hear about the conference and her experiences! For more information about...

Send us a message! In Episode 43 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead discuss how cohousing communities address individuals' desire to change their homes within the context of shared walls and shared interests. Hint: it's pretty different from how a standard HOA handles it. For more information about CoHousing Houston, please check out our website at www.cohousinghouston.com . Let us know if yo...

Send us a message! In Episode 42 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead catch up and talk about the 2024 Olympics. How does it relate to cohousing? Tune in and find out! For more information about CoHousing Houston, please check out our website at www.cohousinghouston.com . Let us know if you have any comments or ideas by emailing us at info@cohousinghouston.com . 

Send us a message! In Episode 41 Kelli Soika visits with Suzy Sharp a founding member of Heartwood Commons a new 55+ cohousing community in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Suzy talks about her community which is getting ready for move in soon. If you're curious about communities around the US, listen in and learn about Heartwood Commons. Suzy mentions that Heartwood Commons will hold an information session...

Send us a message! In Episode 40 Lynn Morstead interviews Kim Meyer , one of our newest cohousing community members about her path to community. An author, university English professor and most recently the founder of a community farm, Lynn invites Kim to describe her journey from writer to farmer, to cohousing and explore how they all overlap. In her most recent book, Accidental Sisters: Refugee...

Send us a message! In Episode 39 Kelli Soika interviews Caleb Parker, a young adult who has lived in both a co-op in Texas and an intentional community in New York City. They talk about the structure of the two communities and his insights into how the environment creates a sense of community. Caleb is CoHousing Houston member, Liz Parker's, son. Check out our conversation with her about the...

Send us a message! Send us a message! In Episode 38 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika talk about what happened in Houston this past week when hurricane Beryl came roaring into town. How they prepared for it, how they rode out the storm and what the response was in their respective neighborhoods. They wrap it up with thoughts on how they will respond to the next one and what their take-aways are for mo...

Send us a message! In Episode 37 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika discuss one of the ways community is built: through the regular (and sometimes tedious!) practice of just showing up. The value of returning to a group of people and committing to building a relationship is the foundation for the sense of community that often comes later.  For more information about community dinners coming soon to coh...

Send us a message! In Episode 36 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika interview Claudia Stephens about her experience cooking for a crowd as a volunteer chef at one of the many waystations on the Camino de Santiago. She has an amazing tale of hospitality and organization that is inspiring and relates well to the experience of community dinners. For more information about community dinners coming soon to...

Send us a message! In Episode 35 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika review A Consensus Handbook published by Seeds for Change. A Consensus Handbook explains the spirit and philosophy of co-operative decision making as well as providing practical guidance on how to facilitate a consensus process. This comprehensive guide looks at common situations and explain the skills and tools your group can use to e...

Send us a message! In Episode 34 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika give their personal expansions on the " Ten Lessons in Neighborliness From a Cohousing Community " by Courtney Martin , published in the Berkley Greater Good magazine. We've been featuring posts on these 10 the past couple of weeks on our Facebook page. Check these out here to get a visual and more details from the artic...

Send us a message! In Episode 33 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika delve further into the stack of cohousing books they've accumulated over the years and review what's useful and why you might want to check out a cohousing book.  In this episode, they review The Cooperative Handbook, a book written by Yana Ludwig and Karen Gimnig. If you would like to get your own copy of this book, go meet...

Send us a message! In Episode 32 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika delve into the stack of cohousing books they've accumulated over the years and review what's useful and why you might want to check out a cohousing book.  In this episode, they review Head, Heart & Hands Lessons in Community Building, a book written by Shari Leach (Jim Leach's daughter.... Jim from Episode 73: Buildi...