Disclaimer

Intentional Community in general

It can't be overemphasized that the groups depicted here are not utopias realized. Many of them are quite wonderful places to live and work, places where the residents share a common vision or purpose. Most are ripe with good intentions and dedication, and are fertile environments for personal growth and work toward the greater good. Most also suffer occasional bouts of such human failings as egocentric behavior, power struggles, miscommunication, and unrealistic expectations.

Communities Directory

The Communities Directory is a forum for each group to share its vision, and it is natural that most groups want to put their best foot forward. It's up to each reader to assess the information that describes each group -- and try to identify what statements are part of the "grand plan," and which ones reflect the day-to-day reality. May your search be interesting, and fruitful.

We don't want to be in the role of passing judgment on others, or deciding which styles of community are more worthy than others. Since the criteria for such comparisons vary from one person to the next, the responsibility for evaluating the information and determining which leads to pursue has been left to you, the reader.

We ask communities to submit listings only if they do not advocate violent practices or interfere with members' freedom to leave the group at any time -- but we leave it to each community to determine, in its own view, exactly what those terms mean.

For communities posting here, you are agreeing to be contacted by those viewing this website and/or using print versions of the Communities Directory. You are making your information public and agree that your text can be quoted by others from this site (see our copyright notice ). In addition you are making your information available to all member organizations of the Intentional Communities Data Collective.

The data on this site is not verified by the FIC and we can not vouch for its accuracy. In addition, we can't guarantee the accuracy of presentation or the accuracy of search results. We will do our best to provide the information as the communities have entered it and to return accurate search results but bugs do occur. Please let us know if you see any problems.

We have attempted to make this site as multi-cultural and even handed as possible while still being user-friendly to our main target audience. We apologize if something has been included or omitted that is offensive. Please contact us and accept our apologies.

Fair Housing Laws

The FIC endeavors to comply with Fair Housing Laws, both at the federal level and at the state level (laws vary widely from state to state). These various laws are designed to prevent discrimination in real estate transactions based on specific designated characteristics. The federal law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, nationality, disability, religion, family status (ie having kids), and gender. State laws can add other categories, for example marital status, sexual orientation, ancestry, source of income, age, creed, personal appearance, political affiliation, HIV infection, military/veteran status, unfavorable military discharge, gender identity or expression, receiving public assistance, and domestic abuse.

The FIC has decided to follow the strictest state and federal guidelines rather than attempt to apply different standards for different states. Because these laws apply to many intentional communities, we are prohibited from conveying information that indicates discrimination or an intent to discriminate based on these categories. To be in compliance, we have removed such information from our website and other publications and will endeavor to prevent or remove illegal content in the future. We encourage communities to investigate the Fair Housing Laws applicable in their location and specific to their situation. We are not in a position to determine if communities are in compliance with applicable laws.

More information on Fair Housing Laws is available at www.fairhousing.com and www.hud.gov.

Some portions adapted from: Communities Directory 2000 Edition pp 12-13