Applications are open to create two new co-ops with Kalamazoo Collective Housing

Kalamazoo Collective Housing is inviting groups or individuals to submit proposals to build intentional communities in two new cooperative homes. Illustration by Qynce B. Chumley

Kalamazoo Collective Housing is inviting groups or individuals to submit proposals to build intentional communities in two new cooperative homes. Those selected will be provided support and training from other KCH members and staff to create their vision from the ground up.

 

The two houses are next-door to each other, located on Walnut Street in the Vine Neighborhood. These homes offer a blank canvas for people seeking affordable housing opportunities in the Kalamazoo community. KCH says they are looking for cooperative housing proposals that outline a vision for the type of community applicants hope to create, and a plan for how to make it happen.

 

“What we are looking for (is) to be the host for someone's vision for a really interesting healthy community that they just need the space for,” said Chris Moore, executive director of Kalamazoo Collective Housing. 

 

Proposals are due by Tuesday, June 7. After an interview process, proposals will be selected by late June. The move-in date is set for August 15.

 

A housing cooperative, or co-op, is a residential housing option in which each tenant is actually a partial owner of the cooperation. There are no landlords in this model; instead, tenants make decisions together on how the co-op is run. 

 

KCH is only one co-op located in Kalamazoo. This co-op houses primarily lower-income individuals in their 20s and 30s. 

 

In a time when affordable housing is hard to come by, housing co-ops are one key part of the solution to finding better, more affordable options, said Moore. 

 

“From my perspective, the main thing that co-ops do that is unique and important is that it completely flips the ownership structure. It essentially removes the profit motive entirely from housing, it turns housing back into a vital public resource,” said Moore.

 

Removing landlords from the equation means the houses are only used as a necessary resource, rather than an investment tool to make a profit. This allows co-ops to be considerably more affordable. KCH offers both apartment and group-housing style options, both costing under fair-market price.

 

Since all tenants are co-owners, decisions within the co-op are made democratically. Moore says they go one step further than the traditional democracy by making all decisions based on consensus, rather than just majority agreement. 

 

To effectively reach a consensus, members spend a lot of time learning how to navigate conflict, and pursuing relationship-building together.

 

“(Reaching a consensus) takes longer sometimes, but is way more fruitful and interesting to figure out what people actually care about… If you’re just trying to get the majority you don’t actually have to care about what everybody thinks, you just have to care about what enough people think,” Moore said.

 

KCH uses elected committees to help in the decision making process. The membership committee will be primarily responsible for choosing which proposal to accept for the new group homes. 

 

In a traditional rental model, the landlord is just looking for someone who can pay the rent, and who will take care of the unit. In a housing co-op, a potential tenant is also a potential co-owner, so the selection process is a bit different. 

 

Some of the requirements are the same: the tenant must be able to afford rent, but a lot are unique to this style of housing, said Marissa Klee-Peregon, a member of KCH. A big part of this decision is based on if an individual fits with the values of the co-op, and how willing they are to be part of community building.

 

“Who the people actually are, and their interest in engaging in the co-operative stuff is what is important to me,” said Klee-Peregon.

 

KCH is also invested in prioritizing anti-racism and anti-oppression mindsets. Someone who joins must show willingness to learn and engage or evidence they have already started this work, said Moore. 

 

Klee-Peregon warns that joining a co-op is hard work. Members are required to attend a weekly meeting and be an active part of working collaboratively with other members. Incoming members must be willing to put time into it. 

 

Moore describes this as a possible barrier to entry for some that might not have that time available in their schedules.

 

“Our expectations for participation often are harder for certain people to meet. We recognize that’s an access issue and we are just starting to figure out how to make that work for everyone,” Moore said.

 

Klee-Peregon says that community building isn’t required to be a co-op, but that it is something that became an important part of KCH. Co-op members in the past have hosted community events and worked on community projects together.

 

KCH culture can be broken down further into the communities created in specific group houses. KCH has five group houses, but the organization is growing, and is beginning to have more homes with specific focuses or themes. Klee-Peregon lives in a substance-free house that centers queer and trans identities.

 

“It's been a really really good experience for me and my housemates to be in that community that centers us,” Klee-Peregon said.  “I would love to see one of the new houses provide that for other groups of people.”

 

Those interested should visit http://kalamazoo.coop/new-coops for more information and to access the submission form, and may email staff@kalamazoo.coop or call (269) 340-0344.