Group of diverse people wearing rainbow striped shirts outside a building.

Eighteenth Ave Peace House

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Spiritual
  • Urban

Founding year

  • 1985

What we do

We are 12 persons–couples and singles, adults and children– who share a common life and ministry in a large house in the Irvington neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Sharing includes income, possessions, time, affection and a Christian faith that is ecumenical, open, inclusive, and non-judgmental. Ministries include (a) community building, (b) peacemaking through personal witness and non-violent public action, (c) hospitality, including a daily hot meals delivered to homeless encampments and (at times) free on site hospice care for persons who are dying, and (d) support for persons who are grieving because of personal loss and/or the disintegration of the social order.
Early every morning we gather for community prayer, and scripture reflection (lectio divina) . Every evening we share a common meal. Visitors are encouraged to join us for these activities, although in the case of supper we ask people to call us ahead of time.
In 2023 we celebrate our 37th anniversary. Two of the original founding members of the household are still here after these many years.

Our Mission

Our mission is to live into the kin’dom of God, by cultivating community, and publicly demonstrating and advancing God’s peace.

  • Purpose
  • Spiritual
  • Community type
  • Commune
  • Spiritual Retreat Centers
  • Activities
  • Networking

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1985
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1986
  • Started living together
  • 6 Total members
  • Not open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
10

How to join

Prospective housemate gets acquainted with one or more housemembers.
Prospective housemate participates in daily morning prayer gathering as often as possible, and supper occcasionaly.
Prospective housemate views list of community practices and expectations.
Existing members and prospective housemates meet together in a Quaker-style “clearness meeting” leading to a mutual decision.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Call John at 503-539-2844 and let’s talk.

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

  • 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: Yes
Labor: Encouraged or suggested
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed

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

Common House, Vehicle Share, Library, Hot tub or hot springs, Large Scale Kitchen, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • 2-5 times per week

Dietary restriction

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

Community activities and engagement

  • Organization, Resource, or Network

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Substance use is prohibited in the community
  • Religions
  • Christian
  • Quaker

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

  • Commune

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

  • Spiritual Retreat Centers

    Residential communities focused on providing space for meditation, spiritual practice, and personal growth retreats.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • Up to 33%

Guest Book

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Location

  • Oregon, United States

Eighteenth Ave Peace House

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

Need
  • Forming Communities
3 weeks ago

Looking for: people building relational capacity, with a view to community

What’s here now: An intention, a framework developed over five years, and a programme running in central Victoria to find people to build with. No land, no group, no timeline. The question this is organised around: What makes a community of people living together sustainable over decades – where people enjoy being there, conflict is low, and the conflict that does arise gets handled in ways people value. The distinctive premise is capacity before formation. Most communities form first and build relational skill afterwards, usually under pressure. This one proposes doing it the other way round: people build the capacities first, and the group forms from people who have them. That includes a working idea about collective capacity – that a group has a ratio, and below some threshold it can’t metabolise its own conflict and starts consuming itself. Roughly: in a group of twenty, perhaps three or four with high capacity, most in the middle, and very few without. Untested, and something this project exists to find out. Governance: Sociocracy, with the intention of testing it meaningfully at scale rather than adopting it nominally. What’s actually happening: A three-week residency at a property near Castlemaine, and a practice group running before it. The medium-term aim is twenty to forty people at a rented facility. The long-term aim is a support hub sharing the framework more widely. What I’m looking for: People who want to build this capacity seriously, and who might eventually want to build something together. Not necessarily people who want to live here – the current property probably isn’t the long-term site. Happy to hear from anyone this resonates with, including people already in community who’d rather share what they’ve learned than join anything.
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
4 weeks ago

Unit C-2, Woodard Lane Cohousing — Olympia, WA

Join Olympia’s first and longest-running cohousing community, in a quiet West Side neighborhood 1.6 miles from downtown, backing onto a forested ravine along Schneider Creek. Unit C-2 offers 1,904 SF. Two stories, 4 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, and a bonus loft room on the main level. It can be lived in as one spacious family home — or split into two independent living spaces, each with its own kitchen, entrance, and effective soundproofing. Great for multigenerational households, live/work arrangements, or an owner-occupied half with a rented or shared half. Upper level: bedroom, full bath, bonus room with built-in loft bed, and an open kitchen-dining-living area with a deck facing the forest. Lower level: 3 bedrooms, full bath with dual sinks, second full kitchen, laundry room, and a second patio. Features: 2 full kitchens, radiant floor heat, stained concrete floors (bamboo upstairs), double-pane windows, bolted keyed entries at both levels, dedicated laundry, concrete patios facing the ravine, shared parking with 18 EV charging stations.   Ownership includes a Common House with a guest room, full kitchen, gathering space, and kids’ play area; a shared vegetable garden; a wood shop and bike storage; and wooded grounds with a stream path and central Green. Monthly dues are $799, covering all utilities except internet. Established in 2010, Woodard Lane is home to ~40 residents across 18 homes, with shared meals, work parties, and genuine neighborliness. Learn more about Woodard Lane Cohousing  We’re looking for a buyer who wants to participate fully in community life. $630,000. Contact Kate Greene: yo******@***il.com or text: 360-789-7587.
Offer
Need

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