River City Housing Cooperative has 35 rooms across three large historic homes within walking distance of downtown Iowa City and the University of Iowa campus.
Our members rent at affordable area rates that vary by room size and features. Your private room is your personal sanctuary, but community is built and sustained through everyday interactions, so you’ll share a kitchen, dining room, living room and other facilities with your housemates.
We are our own landlords, so our houses are managed and operated through the collective efforts of our members. In addition to keeping our rents affordable, shared responsibility for cooking, cleaning, maintenance, and administrative tasks allows RCHC to continue to grow in its mission of sustaining a healthy physical and social environment for all of its members. Members complete a minimum of 16 hours of work credit a month; 8 for their House and 8 for the Collective. They also complete a yearly maintenance requirement.
All members participate in decision-making at RCHC through biweekly House and Board meetings.
All members participate in a food plan, where they purchase food collectively and cook dinner for their House twice a month. Basic household staples are also purchased collectively, so you can always count on toilet paper, laundry detergent, and cleaning supplies.
We strive to maintain a safe and inclusive space for all members through a commitment to mutual values and a comprehensive safe space policy.
To apply to live at RCHC, please visit our website and fill out the Prospective Member Request Form. A membership committee representative will contact you as soon as possible to begin the process.
Vision Statement:
There are three things we as RCHC value and hope to continuously develop: our physical environment, our social environment, and our relationship with the outside community.
We hope to develop our physical space by maintaining our facilities and by instilling a sense of ownership among our residents.
We would like RCHC to be “home-like” with a social environment that encourages involvement; where members interact with mutual respect, goodwill, acceptance, trust, and support.
We hope to be an asset to the community through concern for the environment, education, and the support of community endeavors.
RCHC Goals:
Within our physical sphere, we commit ourselves to:
Save rent through owning and managing our own homes
Keeping our houses clean and functional
Taking responsibility for the financial well-being of the collective
Continue to make improvements on all our houses
Within our social atmosphere we commit ourselves to:
Questioning our definitions of “diversity” and seeking to be diverse and non-discriminatory with regards to race, sex, age, sexual orientation, physical ability, perspective, religion, politics, and creed
Incorporating individual voices within the whole
Offering a community in which to share individual talents and gain practical skills
Taking initiative in solving interpersonal conflicts with mutual respect
Provide social and educational events
Cooking from scratch while meeting the dietary needs of all members
Sharing household chores with an equal division of labor
Within the greater community, we commit ourselves to:
Participating in the intentional community network
Low impact living through recycling, composting, conservation, and the reduction of waste
Participating in community outreach and service
Facilitate community-wide social and educational events
Expanding the collective to include more people and homes
Purchase local and organic food
RCHC is an intentional community, and our prospecting process is the best way that we’ve found to meet and select new members. Prospective members apply through the online form on our website. The prospecting process begins with an information session; at this time, a membership representative explains the fundamentals of collective process and living at RCHC as well as the requirements and expectations that we have for our members.
If you’re still interested after this initial meeting, then you’ll schedule a prospect dinner at the house of your choice. The dinner is conducted in a casual question-and-answer format, in which all of your potential housemates will get a chance to ask you questions that speak directly to coop life and values, and what you could contribute to the community as an active member–they in turn will answer any question that they ask. Then, it’s just a matter of voting; the house will vote on your prospect at the house meeting following your final dinner [based on all contact, answers to dinner questions, and your references], and you will be contacted with a decision shortly thereafter. All parts of the process can be conducted remotely.
Reach out at our e-mail address, and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.
Generally seek agreement, but have backup methods when consensus isn’t reached.
Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.
RCHC’s Board is comprised exclusively of all active members. Members elect officers at the annual General Membership Membership.
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Yes (0 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Members contribute $100/mo. to shared House accounts that pay for collective food purchasing as well as standard household goods.
Members are required to complete 16 work credit hours /month (8 for their House and 8 for the Collective). There is also a yearly requirement of 18 maintenance hours.
Common House, Garden(s), Workshop, Fire pit, Internet
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).
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