Are you a cult?

No, we are more like a family-of-choice. We have no leader, no doctrine, and no brainwashing. We value independent thinking and sustaining relationships with family of origin and friends.

Do I have to be vegetarian?

As a community, we only buy vegetarian food, and our community meals are vegetarian. You can bring meat into the house at your own expense without being shunned.

What about religion?

We do value spirituality, and most of us are engaged with a spiritual group of some sort. For some of us, that involves a religion; for others, it is a spiritual group, path or practice. We do like it when a member can teach us their own spiritual practices or lead us in “prayer”.

Do I have to share a bathroom?

Probably. No room has its own bathroom.

Do I have to share a bedroom?

Nope.

How long do members stay?

We like it when people stay around for a long time. Some of us have been here over 20 years, but we find that many people move on after two or three years for jobs, school or relationships.

What about money?

We rent from the Quakers. Everyone pays rent for their bedroom, and then we each pay $150/mo into the common fund for food and utilities. We also pay for two weekend retreats each year. When you move in, you will pay a security deposit, just like a normal renter.

How do you make decisions?

By consensus. Everyone has to agree to a proposal, or at least be willing to live with it, before we adopt the proposal. If someone believes that the proposal is not in the best interests of the community, we will spend more time considering options.  If eventually someone is still opposed because they believe it is against community interests, then the proposal dies.

Who is in charge?

I wish I knew. We each have chores which we rotate every few months, but we make our decisions together.

How much time will chores take?

A few hours per week. Shopping, laundry, cooking (once or twice per month), cleaning… We run a small guest business, so sometimes you will sign up to greet guests or setup the rooms.