Modern kitchen with stainless steel appliances and open shelving near Los Angeles beach.

Su Casa Catholic Worker Community

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Social
  • Urban

Founding year

  • 1990

What we do

Su Casa provides a healing and safe environment for families who need food, shelter, and a link to services to prepare them for independent living. Through our community soup kitchen, urban farm and wildlife habitat, playground, and activities, we grow to know our immediate neighbors.
We engage the public in social justice issues related to our work through our quarterly newsletter, presentations, and Plunge Group live-in experiences. Following the Catholic Worker tradition, we are committed to living a simple, nonviolent lifestyle, living with the poor, and fostering justice in our neighborhood and community. As community members, volunteers are expected to live the Catholic Worker lifestyle, assist with what is needed, and be active members of the live-in community life.

Our Mission

SU CASA is a house of hospitality and intentional community rooted in the Catholic Worker tradition and located in the heart of Back of the Yards, Chicago. We seek to establish a community and society rooted in simplicity, free of violence, and abounding in love.

  • Purpose
  • Social
  • Community type
  • Coliving
  • Commune
  • Activities
  • Experiences
  • Networking

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1990
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1990
  • Started living together
  • 5 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
6

Basic expectations or agreements for members

We are a house of hospitality and will welcome visitors if they call or email in advance.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

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

Decision-making process

  • Full Consensus

Everyone must agree before moving forward.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Economic model

  • Partial Income-Sharing

Members contribute a percentage of income to community funds.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a labor obligation

Additional economic information

Labor: Yes
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed

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

Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Large Scale Kitchen, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Gym or sports area, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • 2-5 times per week

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
  • Organization, Resource, or Network
  • Festivals, Conferences, Events

Substance use culture

  • Substance use is frequent and public in the community
  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Religions
  • Christian
  • Buddhist
  • Wiccan, Paganism, or Earth Religions

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Multi-generational (all ages well represented)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Community Land Trust or some other kind of nonprofit

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.

  • Commune

    Communal living with shared resources, property, and often income or work responsibilities

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
  • Greenhouse / aquaponics
  • Land area size
    2 acres

Guest Book

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Location

  • Illinois, United States

Su Casa Catholic Worker Community

Needs and Offers

Offer
  • Communities with Openings
7 months ago

Worktrade Opportunities on Big Island Hawaii

We are continuing our work-trade program at Bridge Hawaii for the right people on this beautiful 86-acre land located along the Hāmākua Coast. Ideally, we want to host those individuals who can help with the garden and who can support with build projects for up to a 3 month stay. This work-trade would include lodging, food staples, community kitchen, running hot water showers, off-grid electricity, and laundry. There is access to high speed wi-fi. We often have a car that can be reserved. We also have full bar signal strength with Verizon cellphone service. We have about 2 acres of permaculture garden that needs to be cared for including; weeding, planting, picking up mulch, some tree trimming, ect. We are currently in a building stage on the land. We have a few current grant projects we are working on and some build projects that are underway. We are an intentional community with about 8 permanent residents. There are rescue dairy cows, mini cows, mini donkeys, horses, a donkey, cats, dogs, and active bee hives. We are a drug and alcohol “free” space. A glass of wine or beer with dinner is fine, but absolutely no day drinking or parties. We have a meditation temple and many waterfall pools that are wonderful for swimming. Close to some of the nicest beaches on island. We have snorkeling gear and a kayak. Since this is an animal sanctuary, we limit the consumption of meat on the land. Fish, eggs, honey, and dairy are fine. Let me know if you’re interested by sending an email or text for our application. Maomi (801) 623-0738 ma***@*****************ii.com

Information

Communities

A residential project: people live here as their primary home.

Organizations

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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