Cohousing Takes Center Stage: National Cohousing Week, New Board Leadership & A Reimagined CohoUS

By Trish Becker-Hafnor

Exciting things are happening in the world of cohousing! This year, we’re launching National Cohousing Week, a dedicated time to celebrate, educate, and connect around the power of intentional community. Throughout the week, we’ll host virtual and in-person events featuring inspiring voices in the movement. Then, the week culminates in Cohousing Open House Weekend, where communities across the country will open their doors to welcome visitors, showcase their unique ways of living, and inspire the next generation of cohousers.

The full schedule of Cohousing Week events is listed below, and Open House events are listed on our website - check back often, as new Open House events are added every day!

At the same time, we’ve been reflecting on how CohoUS can better serve the movement. Last month, we convened four focus groups to gather insights on a reimagined CohoUS, with feedback on how we can strengthen our impact and deepen engagement. Their input is shaping the future of our work—stay tuned for updates!

As we look ahead, we’re also thrilled to introduce five new board members to CohoUS. These leaders bring deep expertise in innovation, development, real estate, and affordable housing, strengthening our ability to grow the movement and support communities nationwide. They represent the future of cohousing, and we can’t wait for you to meet them! Learn more about their backgrounds and vision for cohousing.

Danny Milman, Urban Development + Partners
Nazin Bagherynejad The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh
Sarah Wells with LiveWork Denver & Queen City Cooperative
Deb Goldberg, Berkeley Cohousing
J Moran Morton, a Multi-family Real Estate Development professional

There’s never been a better time to engage with cohousing. Whether through National Cohousing Week, our evolving organization, or our new leadership, we invite you to join us in shaping what’s next!

Community thrives when people see it in action—so let’s open our doors!

Mark your calendars for National Cohousing Week, a nationwide celebration of intentional community. Throughout the week, we’ll host engaging virtual events, diving into the heart of cohousing—what makes it work, why it matters, and how we grow this model of intentional community.

Then, during Open House Weekend, communities across the country will welcome visitors virtually and in person to experience the magic of intentional community living firsthand. Whether you’re curious about cohousing or ready to take the next step, this is your chance to step inside real communities, meet the people who call them home, and see what’s possible when we design for connection.

📅 National Cohousing Week: April 28 - May 4, 2025

🏡 Open House Weekend: May 3 & 4, 2025

Be a part of it! If you're in a community, consider hosting an open house—it’s one of the most powerful ways to grow the movement. And if you’re exploring cohousing, get ready to visit and experience the joy of community for yourself.

Learn more and add your event!

Join us for one of our free virtual events by RSVPing at the links below

East Coast Spotlight + Cohousing Research

Monday, April 28 | 1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT

Explore what’s happening in East Coast cohousing, followed by insights from the latest research on cohousing trends and impact.

Midwest Spotlight + Cohousing Adjacent Models

Tuesday, April 29 | 2:00pm - 3:30pm MDT

Hear regional updates from Midwest and West communities, then dive into a discussion on adjacent housing models and affordability.

PNW Spotlight + Seniors in Cohousing

Wednesday, April 30| 4:00pm - 5:30pm MDT

See what’s new in Pacific Northwest cohousing, followed by a look at how seniors are shaping and thriving in cohousing communities.

West & Southwest Spotlight + Storytelling in Community

Thursday, May 1| 3:00pm - 4:30pm MDT

Get the latest updates from West and Southwest communities, then take part in an interactive storytelling session. Participants will be invited to share personal and community stories that highlight the heart of cohousing.

Upcoming Events

Building Climate Resiliency

Thursday, April 3rd, 3-4:30pm MT

“Solastalgia is a form of homesickness one gets when one is still at ‘home,’” (Albrecht, 2005, p. 45). As the places we love change because of shifting weather patterns, intensifying storms, wildfires, and other climate impacts, solastalgia and eco-anxiety are intensifying. Normalizing these experiences in community is key to building the emotional resilience to move through environmental distress into action. Participants in this interactive workshop are invited to share space with others who are feeling the weight of the climate crisis and practice strategies for community resilience building.

Led by Dr. Jen Myers, sustainability educator at the Thrive Ithaca EcoVillage Education Center, this workshop will offer tools for cohousing communities interested in all aspects of resiliency planning, from disaster preparedness to climate support groups. Dr. Myers will share a climate resiliency assessment tool developed by the Global Ecovillage Network and discuss the EcoVillage at Ithaca’s efforts to decarbonize, set benchmarks, and develop goals for climate adaptation.

Translating Cohousing Lessons from Abroad

Thursday, April 17th, 3-4:30pm MT

The internet is full of compelling collective housing projects from around the world. With inflation, a lack of government subsidies, and exclusionary zoning those visions can feel out of reach. What, if anything, can we learn from those projects? What lessons may be relevant to the US context?

This session will walk participants through progressive collective housing models from Europe & Australia that the presenter toured in 2022 & 2023. It will distill their lessons into over twenty actionable principles for: promoting community, honoring resources, decreasing cost, & reducing maintenance in ground-up cohousing communities.

Momentum is building at Rooted Northwest!

“Can we build a cohousing neighborhood where people who support local agriculture come together with farmers to create a resilient and caring community life?”

Dave Boehnlein, permaculturist and one of Rooted Northwest’s founders

We believe the answer is Yes!, and we are doing just that in rural Snohomish County an hour north of Seattle. In December 2024, our Preliminary Plat was approved, setting the stage to bring our vision of a village with farmland to reality. We are recruiting homebuyers to join us in a community built on shared values, meaningful work, everyday interaction, connection to nature, and participatory decision-making. You don’t have to be a farmer to live at Rooted Northwest! Residents can support regenerative farming and healthful local food just by buying a home here. Of course, if you want to farm, whether as a livelihood or a side gig, we have plenty of land for you to pursue your growing passions, too.

Rooted Northwest future residents and current farmers share a meal in their temporary common house

Rooted Northwest will be an agrivillage in Washington state – a walkable rural cohousing neighborhood on beautiful land with forests and nature that also supports a mosaic of small on-site regenerative farms sharing common infrastructure and equipment. Founded by people who believe there is another way to live – one that nurtures land, people, and community – Rooted Northwest aims to model a new kind of rural development in which homebuyers make the mission of saving farmland and supporting farmers a reality.

Read the rest on our blog!

Join us for our free monthly events to learn more about cohousing!

The Commons

Curious about cohousing but don’t know where to start? Want to meet with cohousing newbies and experts alike?

This (free) monthly gathering will include a Cohousing 101 presentation and ample time to connect and ask questions. Join us once, or every time – we’ll be here every month on the 10^th at 10am MT.

Senior Cohousing Q&A

Want to learn more about what it's like to build, join, and participate in cohousing as you age?

The Senior Cohousing Advocates Committee will be facilitating an informal conversation for those interested in senior cohousing and/or senior living in intergenerational cohousing. This (free) event will take place every month on the 20th at 10am MT.

See below for local and national news coverage on the cohousing movement and community updates:

Milagro Cohousing: Intentional Community and Ecological Stewardship featuring Milagro Cohousing
Discover Jewish Cohousing for All Families and Ages featuring Berkeley Moshav
Intentional Polestar Village community to break ground in Fort Collins featuring Polestar Village
Bay Area Cohousing Communities helping Ease Social Isolation featuring Mission Peak, Swan's Market
A Washington Cohousing Project Could Help Preserve Farmland featuring Rooted NW
More cohousing communities coming to Minnesota featuring Twin Cities Cohousing Network
Could cohousing solve Houston’s housing, rent, and vacant office space problems? featuring Cohousing Houston
Communities Magazine (digital)
Moseley Architects to design cohousing community near Hampden featuring Cohousing of Greater Baltimore

Anything we missed? Send us an email and we'll include it in the next issue of our e-news!

Oakcreek Community: tailored to the needs of seniors

Oakcreek, a senior cohousing community in Stillwater OK, focuses on healthy aging. To support its members, the community has established several programs and procedures to address needs that can come up for older people. They are described following the background information below.

Background

Oakcreek Community was started in 2009 by eight households who wanted to retire in Stillwater but couldn’t find housing that suited their needs. Construction was completed in 2012, just three years after the initial planning. The community consists of 24 single-level homes grouped into six buildings. Home prices in the area are among the lowest in the country, making this an attractive alternative for those who may feel they can’t afford cohousing in other places.

Stillwater (population around 50,000) is home to Oklahoma State University, a large public land grant university with about 27,000 students. The city also has a vibrant performing arts center. Stillwater is located about 70 miles from two large metropolitan areas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

Will you share your community stories with us?

Submit anecdotes, photos, videos and stories so that we can help tell the story of life in community.

SHARE YOUR STORY HERE

Cohousing is part of a more sustainable, democratic and connected future.

To date, CohoUS has helped enable the development of over 200 cohousing communities in the US. These communities serve as examples of the sustainable and community-based neighborhoods our country will need in the future. Please support CohoUS and help us double that number in the next few years.

Your monthly gift will both support new initiatives as well as the continued nurturing of our communities and growth of our movement. As an CohoUS Donor, you can take pride in creating a legacy that will live on to support future generations.

Donations, as a community or as an individual, are accepted year round and can be made to:

Cohousing Association of the US

3860 Chase St

Wheat Ridge, CO 80212

DONATE

Professional Services

The Cohousing Company

The Cohousing Company offers design and some key development consulting service from leading cohousing expert Charles Durrett to assist you in building a high-functioning cohousing community.

CoHousing Solutions

CoHousing Solutions provides development consulting and marketing services to help you create your cohousing community.

Studio Co+Hab

Studio Co+Hab is an architecture firm focused on innovative and sustainably-built environments such as cohousing and other intentional communities.