Bright Morning Star

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About the Community

What we do

Bright Morning Star is a small urban household, formed to support our members in their social justice and artistic pursuits. Located in Seattle, we enjoy many benefits of city living, including a wide range of friends and interests outside our home: Quaker meeting, music, environmental and social justice organizations, Native American cultural revival, and the Northwest Intentional Community Association, among others. We share chores, food, mostly vegetarian meals, and meet regularly, making decisions by consensus. Our workdays honor the continued well-being of our home, and our celebrations recognize the Light within each of us. Occasionally one of us spontaneously bursts into song. We began as part of the Life Center Community in Philadelphia in 1979. In 1985 our core group of two couples (gay and straight) combining incomes and co-parenting three children moved to Seattle. Although members have come and gone over the years, we are still committed to maintaining a pleasant, cooperative, multicultural and nurturing environment for personal growth and social activism. Our “Solar Plan” is now complete: Two sets of solar panels produce large portions of our hot water and electricity; it’s quite a thrill to see the electric meter running in reverse. We now have an electric vehicle, which is partially charged by our solar system.

Invited guests are welcome. Advance notice required.

Our Vision

Supportive family, ecological/sustainable living patterns, social justice

Our Mission

Supportive family, ecological/sustainable living patterns, social justice

  • 6 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
  • Open to volunteers
Total
6

How to join

When openings occur, we advertise on http://seattle.craigslist.org and or the NICA website: https://nwcommunities.org/listings/, as well as social media, primarily the Seattle Cooperative Housing Network group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SeattleCooperativeHousingNetwork . This link will take you to our membership form: https://forms.gle/FgEoZEXDamTuuriC8. We select the most promising responses and interview the people at meals. If things look good we schedule a second meeting within a few days, during which we check references. When a person is invited to join, they will move in for a 3-month trial period, and post a $500 deposit bond. At the end of the trial period, we hold a “clearness” meeting, where each person testifies as to the opportunities and challenges presented by the person’s membership. Then, if all are in agreement, the person is admitted to full membership.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Write at least two weeks in advance, either by email or with a SASE. All visitors are approved by the group, so tell us something substantial about yourself, particularly your purpose in visiting. We are small in size and short on time and energy to share with visitors, but welcome those who may share our interests.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

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

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

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
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Monthly fees/dues: $1063
Labor required: 3 hours/week
Members with pre-existing debt: Yes
Cost-sharing, Non-profit rent level, Debt has no effect on membership, Weekly chores, Bi-monthly work days. Deposit of $500, applied to last month’s rent share, cost-sharing; amount varies depending on number of sharers. Note that the monthly cost share amount listed above*includes food*. In lieu of cooking, members can opt to pay $351 more a month to compensate the cooks for shared meals.

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

Garden(s), Outbuilding(s), Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • Approximately 1 meal per day

Substance use culture

  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Religions
  • Quaker

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By several individuals through an LLC or a Tenancy In Common agreement

Setting

  • Urban

Within city limits with access to urban amenities and infrastructure.

Self-produced energy

  • 33 - 66%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar
  • Biomass (from wood or other organic materials)

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%
  • Land area size
    0.1 acres

Reviews

Location

  • Washington, United States

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