Sunward Cohousing

  • Community
  • 0 followers

About the Community

  • Established
  • Suburban

What we do

We are a community of people dedicated to creating a place where resources are shared, the Earth is respected, diversity is welcomed, children play together in safety, growth is nurtured, and living in community enriches our lives. Our core values and vision help to provide a common foundation for our decisions and our relationships with each other.

Around 95 people live at Sunward Cohousing, from infants to centenarians. We have singles and couples, families with children, empty-nesters, and shared homes. We have a diversity of backgrounds, occupations, spiritual and secular paths, and sexual orientations.

In our years together on the land since 1998, we have experienced births, deaths, weddings, partings, joys, sorrows, members joining and departing, and much more. Many of us were drawn to Sunward for the sense of community and for the opportunity to live more lightly on the land. We steward 20 beautiful acres of woods, prairie, ponds, one quarter of which contains our clustered private homes and common house.

Our Vision

deepeing connections, stewardship of land, creating a beautiful legacy for future generations

Our Mission

deepeing connections, stewardship of land, creating a beautiful legacy for future generations

  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • 97 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
  • Open to volunteers
Total
97

How to join

Read our public documents. Begin a conversation with us. Arrange a visit. Attend a Community Meeting and a Common House dinner. Meet as many Sunwardians as you can. Ask yourself how you can sustainably contribute to the shared work of running our community.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

We look forward to meeting prospective members! Please contact us well in advance and please be patient and persistent. We can NOT accommodate drop-in visitors. Please read FIC’s guide to visiting communities ahead of your visit, and thank you for respecting the privacy of our home.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

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

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

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: Yes (amount not specified)
Labor required: 2 hours/week
Members with pre-existing debt: Yes
Members must be able to meet financial obligations to the community, and manage a financially stable household.

 

Minimum contribution of 5hr/month plus preparing common meals & community meeting participation

 

Purchase of home or some level of rental or homesharing arrangement.

 

each household pay a monthly fee to community based partly on size.

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

Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Large Scale Kitchen, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Waterfront access, Gym or sports area, Internet, 10 acres of woods, 5 acres of ponds & wetlands

Frequency of communal meals

  • 2-5 times per week

Substance use culture

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

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

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

Setting

  • Suburban

Residential areas outside city centers but within metropolitan regions.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%
  • Land area size
    20 acres

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Location

  • Michigan, United States

Sunward Cohousing

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