Ella Jo Baker Intentional Community Cooperative, Inc.

  • Community
  • 2 followers

About the Community

  • Established
  • Urban

What we do

The Ella Jo Baker Intentional Community is a multicultural association of individuals of modest means, with similar concerns, needs and history of community activism and fighting for social justice. We have deliberately chosen to live together and work cooperatively to create a lifestyle that reflects the values of the Nguzo Saba, better known as the Kwanzaa Principles.

Our Vision

The mission of the Ella Jo Baker Intentional Community is to build a solid foundation of cooperation and community participation through cooperative home ownership (Ujamaa) that can serve as a model for community-building and neighborhood improvement and for breathing life into the Kwanzaa Principles. We get our inspiration from civil rights activist Ella Jo Baker, who committed her life to the building of cooperation and participartory democracy for the purpose of bringing about social justice.

Our Mission

The mission of the Ella Jo Baker Intentional Community is to build a solid foundation of cooperation and community participation through cooperative home ownership (Ujamaa) that can serve as a model for community-building and neighborhood improvement and for breathing life into the Kwanzaa Principles. We get our inspiration from civil rights activist Ella Jo Baker, who committed her life to the building of cooperation and participartory democracy for the purpose of bringing about social justice.

  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • Activities
  • Education
  • 55 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
  • Open to volunteers
Total
55

How to join

Submit application, attend orientation and interview in order to qualify for waiting list, if the qualifications are met and there is space available in the cooperative the person on the top of the list is offered the space.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

We have had students and community organizers who are in town for specific campaigns visit our cooperative.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Single Leader or Founding Couple

One person or partnership has ultimate authority.

Governance structure

  • Founder/Leader-led

Primary authority rests with the community’s founder(s) or designated leader(s).

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • 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

Join fee: $3000.00
Monthly fees/dues: $10
Labor required: 3 hours/week
Members with pre-existing debt: Yes (some debt)

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

Garden(s)

Frequency of communal meals

  • 1-3 times per month

Substance use culture

  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Religions
  • Christian
  • Buddhist
  • Jewish
  • Muslim
  • Quaker
  • Wiccan, Paganism, or Earth Religions

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Land Trust, Home Owners Association, or corporation

Setting

  • Urban

Within city limits with access to urban amenities and infrastructure.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Reviews

Location

  • District of Columbia, United States

Ella Jo Baker Intentional Community Cooperative, Inc.

Promoted Needs and Offers

Need
  • Communities with Openings
6 months ago

Join us in the mountains of Western North Carolina

Coweeta Heritage Center/Talking Rock Farm is located in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Coweeta is located in a beautiful and diverse temperate rain forest. It feels very remote here yet we are just 12 miles from Franklin, NC. Winters can be mild. Coweeta is blessed with springs and a stream, pristine forests, and abundant wildlife. Power is provided by a hydro-electric system which is not connected to the grid. An organic garden and trout pond provide healthy food that is also shared with the local community. Hiking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities are just out the back door. Coweeta is looking for others who would like to join together to form an Intentional Community embracing the principles of Voluntary Simplicity. Simply put (no pun intended): We wish “to live simply so that others may simply live.” It is a recognition that nature provides us with valuable services and resources that we can use to enrich our lives. Utilizing local resources, appropriate technology, and working cooperatively, we can discover creative ways to meet our needs as “directly and simply as possible.”. An example of this, in the tradition of many Indigenous People”, is to gather, and use wildcrafted foods as part of our diet. There is great joy in going to nature’s grocery for our sustenance. Voluntary Simplicity is based on the recognition that “very little is needed to live well” and that “abundance is a state of mind.” Living lower on the economic ladder allows us more time and freedom to pursue other life goals: community and social engagement, family time, artistic or intellectual projects, more fulfilling employment, political participation, sustainable living, spiritual exploration, and more. According to the Voluntary Collective, “The grounding assumption of Voluntary Simplicity is that all human beings have the potential to live meaningful, free, happy and infinitely diverse lives while consuming no more than an equitable share of (the world’s) resources.” We affirm the need for a work/life balance, the right to a healthy environment and healthy food, and healthy community relationships supporting a diverse population. It is our responsibility as engineers of a new generation to make the changes that we want to see happen and pass this on to the next generations. We can’t wait for someone else to do this important work. Voluntary Simplicity is a quiet revolution that can change the world. As one person said, “we must be poets of our own lives and of a new generation.” We hope you will join us here at Coweeta or elsewhere on our journey to a healthier and more sustainable future! Temporary housing is available in a 27 foot trailer trailer with attached deck next to a creek while we build additional housing. Your basic living expenses (shelter, basic food items, power and water) are met through our market garden or other fundraising projects that you will participate in. You are expected to contribute a given amount of your time and energy to help grow our community and meet our financial obligations. Possible future plans include establishing a retreat center for healing our earth and each other. Work includes organic gardening, construction projects and other community building activities. Come join Coweeta and learn how to live lightly on the land and enjoy the Earth’s bounty! For more information, visit www.coweetaheritagecenter.com Contact [email protected] for a visit or more info.  Paul
Need
  • Communities with Openings
7 months ago

Oak Park Commons Cohousing – Plan to Move in Fall 2025

Illinois’ first cohousing community fosters intergenerational connection, diversity, and inclusiveness. We welcome all those who share our vision of creating a sustainable residential community in a vibrant urban suburb. Oak Park Commons Cohousing seeks new members. Join the dozen households that have already helped plan and design a five story, 24-unit building near the commercial heart of Oak Park, Illinois. The building includes a mix of one, two, and three, bedroom ADA accessible units. A package friendly first floor mailroom adjoins the lobby, elevator, and parking entrances. Noise mitigation and energy efficient air conditioning assure year-round comfort. The Carpenter & Madison streets corner location includes within a pedestrian friendly half mile radius: a middle school, bus stop, grocery co-op, drug store, bank, CTA train station, Unity Temple, Rush Hospital, Fox Park, Mills Park, and many restaurants. Madison has traffic calming and bike lanes. The Village commercial center, barely a mile away offers the Lake Theatre Cinema, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Formula Fitness Center, Public Library, Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, and specialty retail and service shops. Oak Park includes excellent K-12 schools. Lincoln public elementary school offers an optional Spanish bilingual program, Gwendolyn Brooks middle school’s wonderful performing arts opportunities and OPRF high school’s great college and career prep. Eight two and three bedroom units are still available for purchase starting at $406,640. Buyers pay a five percent earnest fee when signing a purchase agreement that goes toward down payment at closing. Units available for occupancy starting the last week of October 2025. Visit our website and talk with some of our members to learn more about who we are and how we envision building our community together.   Website: https://oakparkcommons.com/ Contacts: Charles Hoch 708-721-8817; Susan Stall 708-772-8817
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