Historic house with Victorian architecture and a front porch in a residential neighborhood.

Bloomington Cooperative Living

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Home-sharing
  • Urban

Founding year

  • 2007

What we do

Bloomington Cooperative Living creates and maintains affordable, communal housing in Bloomington, Indiana that is democratically controlled by residents. We currently operate five houses with around 80 members. Our membership includes a range of undergraduate, graduate and non-students. We feel that a diverse membership enriches the coop, especially since we practice democratic decision-making at the house- and coop-level. Our coop is active in the local community, ranging from participation in the art and music scene, hosting events in collaboration with other organizations that align with our mission, and sharing our space with volunteer groups. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit for low-income housing, so we keep all our rent expenses affordable. To accomplish this, we share expenses for food and utilities, driving costs down.
Check us out at: www.bloomingtoncoop.org

Our Mission

Bloomington Cooperative Living creates and maintains affordable, communal housing in Bloomington, Indiana that is democratically controlled by residents.

  • Purpose
  • Home-sharing
  • Community type
  • Coliving
  • Student Co-op
  • Activities
  • Property management
  • Experiences
  • Networking

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2007
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2008
  • Started living together
  • 80 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
81

How to join

We ask prospective tenants to fill out an application, visit all the houses, and participate in a cooking shift. After that, we do an interview and vote on whether to approve their membership so that they can sign a lease. Learn more at bloomingtoncoop.org.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

email us (bc*@********************ve.org)

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Decision-making process

  • Majority Vote

More than 50% agreement needed.

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

Conflict resolution approach

Nominally super majority. In practice almost all votes are consensus.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

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
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Regular fees: $634
Labor: Yes (5 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed

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

Common House, Garden(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Large Scale Kitchen, Fire pit, Gym or sports area, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • Approximately 1 meal per day

Dietary type

  • Vegetarian Only

Dietary restriction

  • People can cook and eat what they want in their own residence

Community activities and engagement

  • Volunteer, Internship, or Apprenticeship, or WWOOF’ing
  • Neighborhood, Community Housing, or Homeowner's Association
  • Organization, Resource, or Network

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure

Gender composition

  • Majority non-binary/gender diverse (over 30%)

Age demographics

  • Multi-generational (all ages well represented)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Land Trust, Home Owners Association, or corporation

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.

  • Student Co-op

    Cooperative housing primarily for students, often with shared chores,
    meals, and democratic decision-making.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • Up to 33%

Food systems

  • Community garden

Guest Book

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

Location

  • Indiana, 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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