Victorian house with green siding and multiple bay windows in an urban neighborhood.

Audre Lorde Cooperative House

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Home-sharing
  • Urban

Founding year

  • 1996

What we do

Audre Lorde Co-op is a 14-room household that provides a safe space for people of all ages committed to advocating a sustainable and socially just society. We are an actively pro-people-of-color, racial justice, pro-feminist, and pro-queer/LGBT-loving household. Our intent is to bring together individuals in an environment that fosters and is supportive of their activist endeavors, as well as creating a safe place for living. House decisions are made by modified consensus or majority. We are located near Zoe Bayliss, Lothlorien, Ambrosia, Nottingham, and Rivendell Co-ops.
House members contribute roughly 5-6 hours of their time each week for work jobs such as cooking, washing dishes, cleaning various common spaces, paying bills, grocery shopping, serving as a house representative for the board and various committees of Madison Community Cooperative, and many other jobs that go toward the upkeep and continuance of the household.
We are committed to accessibility and disability justice. Unfortunately, all the bedrooms are on the second and third floors with no elevator access. There is level entry to the first floor and parking space at the rear of the house.
Everyone in the house pays $100 a month to purchase bulk food.
We have house meetings every Thursday night that can last anywhere from forty-five minutes to three hours. These meetings are a chance for us to communicate with one another as a group about any issues, problems, plans, or changes, in a forum that insures everyone an equal chance to be heard.
Contact the Audre Lorde residence at au*************@**************ty.coop

Our Mission

activist cooperative

  • Purpose
  • Home-sharing
  • Community type
  • Coliving
  • Activities
  • Property management
  • Experiences

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1996
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1996
  • Started living together
  • 14 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
14

Primary decision-making authority

  • All Community Members Together

The whole membership decides collectively.

Decision-making process

  • Majority Vote

More than 50% agreement needed.

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • 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

Join fee: $200
Regular fees: $100
Labor: Yes (6 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
There is a $200 security deposit.
Monthly payments for own room, as well as $100 for food and supplies

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

Common House, Garden(s), Library, Large Scale Kitchen, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • About once a week

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

Substance use culture

  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies

Gender composition

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

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

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.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • Up to 33%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Land area size
    .15 acres

Guest Book

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Location

  • Wisconsin, 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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