Community house with garden and colorful fence at Foundation for Intentional Community.

Loaves & Fishes Community

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Home-sharing
  • Urban

Founding year

  • 1989

What we do

Loaves and Fishes Community began in 1989 when Angie Miller and the late Steve O’Neil opened their family home to Central American refugees en route to Canada. Over the years we have grown into four houses within a few blocks of each other, two of which provide family-style hospitality to people experiencing homelessness, one which offers foster care to children, and a fourth which serves the needs of community and some long-term hospitality. We are rooted in the Catholic Worker movement, with strong influence from community organizing and the labor movement.; We engage in anti-racism and housing organizing; grow two city lots of gardens; help facilitate countywide anti-homelessness efforts; and run a no-cost bike shop which sends our 150-200 bicycles every year on a work trade system.

Our Mission

Like the message of the Bible story that gave us our name, Loaves & Fishes Community believes that sharing is contagious. We welcome people of all faiths and none to join us as we practice nonviolence and community, advocate for social change, and offer family-style hospitality to people experiencing homelessness.

  • Purpose
  • Home-sharing
  • Community type
  • Coliving
  • Activities
  • Experiences
  • Networking

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1989
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1989
  • Started living together
  • 10 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
38

How to join

Membership process begins with a questionnaire and email/phone communication or visit, if practical. Potential new members take part in an experiential period of three months, after which the community and potential new member decide if we are a mutual fit for one another. Short-term volunteers are welcome, but membership requires a minimum one-year commitment to the community.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

E-mail or call. Priority for beds is given to local people experiencing homelessness, so we cannot always accommodate visitors but will do our best!

Primary decision-making authority

  • All Community Members Together

The whole membership decides collectively.

Decision-making process

  • Full Consensus

Everyone must agree before moving forward.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Conflict resolution approach

Decisions are made by core community through consensus. Major decisions include a process of input and consultation with guests and extended members/supporters. House ownership and maintenance is managed by an independent board made up of members of the community and extended community supporters.

Economic model

  • Partial Income-Sharing

Members contribute a percentage of income to community funds.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation

Additional economic information

Regular fees: $50
Labor: Yes (30 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Members are strongly encouraged to take paid work outside the community for no more than 20 hours per week, and tithe 10% of income to the community.

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • Approximately 1 meal per day

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Community activities and engagement

  • Volunteer, Internship, or Apprenticeship, or WWOOF’ing
  • Organization, Resource, or Network

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Religions
  • Christian
  • Buddhist
  • Quaker
  • Native
  • Unitarian Universalist

Gender composition

  • Majority cis (over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Multi-generational (all ages well represented)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By several individuals through an LLC or a Tenancy In Common agreement

Setting

  • Urban

Within city limits with access to urban amenities and infrastructure.

Community type

  • Coliving

    Shared living spaces with private bedrooms/bathrooms and communal
    kitchens, dining, and social areas.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • 33 - 66%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • Over 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • Minnesota, United States

Needs and Offers

Offer
  • Communities with Openings
2 months ago

Community House in SE Portland Seeks Membership!

Ellis Street Community House is seeking kind, present, and engaged new housemates with experience in community living. We are currently 3 adults, one baby, and two cats living in a 6 bedroom, 3 bath house on ÂĽ acre of land near Powell Butte nature park and the Springwater Corridor bike trail. We expect to be joined by a shy and sweet 2 year old in the next few months. For us, living in community is a collaborative process, one that helps improve our quality of life. We’re able to eat great food, keep the place clean, maintain a garden, and hold a space large enough to host guests and events by working together. We have an extensive community library and art/craft material collection, as well as a great tea selection, stocked pantry, and functional kitchens ready for feast-making, canning, and fermentation dreams. We make kombucha, ginger beer, sauerkraut, bone broth, natto, and apple/pear butter on a rotating basis. With two fridges and two deep freezers we can save blueberries and blackberries we harvested from close by and get meat directly from farmers. We hold potlucks and other events like bonfires and game nights about once a month, and make a house dinner together weekly. We maintain a home free from artificial fragrances and voice-activated technology. The larger downstairs room is available for $740 per month. The smaller downstairs room will be available for $600 per month starting on September 1rst. The main kitchen is on the second floor. We also have private outdoor space for someone sleeping in their home on wheels available for $200-500 per month depending on the size of the vehicle. This would include membership in the community and use of the common spaces. Guest space is available for friends and relatives of residents – upstairs there is an office/guest room for longer visits, and the couches/pads in the common areas are available for shorter stays. The home has heating and cooling through an efficient heat pump, and we ju

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