Cohousing Co-operative Ltd
Resident Selection Criteria
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Principles
The Cohousing Co-operative Ltd is funded as a resident managed co-operative.
Under the terms of our agreement with the Housing Department, 80% of residents
must be eligible for public housing (ie holder of a health care card, income
and asset limits etc), and the other 20% must not be home owners and must
declare that their income and assets are within the limits defined by the
co-op.
Applicants must be eligible for Public Housing at Housing Tasmania. Information is available at Housing Tasmania. People are eligible who:
- are low income earners (are eligible for a Commonwealth Health Card Card);
- are residents of Australia living in Tasmania;
- are 16 years of age or older; and
- have financial assets less than $34,472.60 (for the total household application)(and no house)(anywhere).
To be eligible for housing, at least one member
of the proposed new household must demonstrate an interest in the Co-operative,
by contacting the Secretary. At this point the Secretary will determine whether
the interested person/s would be eligible and, if so, sends them information.
A list of interested persons/households will be
maintained by the Secretary.
The decision on who is chosen to fill a vacant
house will be made by current active member residents considering the relative merits of
each contacted applicant based on the selection criteria and the outcome of
the interviewing process
The criteria are designed to ensure the process
of allocating vacant houses is fair and equitable with due consideration given
to the needs of people for housing, balanced with the Co-op's own needs for
a vibrant, diverse and involved cohousing membership.
Selection
Criteria
1. Community Housing Program Criteria
a) Housing Need
Some people will have greater
need for housing than others. Some factors increasing housing need are: being
a parent, being a single parent, being on a low income, old age, and social
isolation. There may also be others factors not listed here. People with a
higher housing need would generally have a higher priority, all other things
being equal.
Applicants must be eligible for Public Housing at Housing Tasmania. Information is available at Housing Tasmania. People are eligible who:
- are low income earners (are eligible for a Commonwealth Health Card Card);
- are residents of Australia living in Tasmania;
- are 16 years of age or older; and
- have financial assets less than $34,472.60 (for the total household application)(and no house)(anywhere).
a) Household size matched
to house size Space is an important issue
in the Co-op, originally the size of each house was based on the size of
each household at the time the plans were drawn up, and the houses are relatively
small. Therefore, gross mismatches between house size and household size should
be avoided (that is, a very large household in a very small house and vice
versa). Some differences between
the number of people and the number of rooms may be acceptable. The Co-op
understands that households can grow or shrink, and this may also be taken
into account. b) Understanding of, and commitment
to, the principles and practices of a Co-operative This refers to the applicant's
genuine desire to work co-operatively and contribute to the co-op. It involves
a real understanding and acceptance (or a demonstrated willingness to understand
and accept) the policies and practices of the Co-operative, and what being a member means. b) Length of Time and Activity
Levels The Co-op would like to
recognise the involvement of people who may have applied some time ago and
been involved with the group for a period of time.. However, being a long-term
applicant does not automatically mean these people are first on the list for a vacant
house. The Co-op wishes to acknowledge
active participation of people who may have been on the interested list for
some time. An interest in being part
of the activities of the community (meetings, working bees and common meals
etc), is critical for prospective members/residents. a)
Understanding of, and commitment to, the principles and practices of cohousing
community living. This refers to the applicant's
genuine desire to live co-operatively and contribute to the community. It
involves a real understanding and acceptance (or a demonstrated willingness
to understand and accept) the policies and practices of the cohousing community. b) Mixture of members Cohousing values include
a diversity of membership. This is an issue that needs to be considered so
that the Co-op does not become too homogenous. Rather, the Co-op will weigh
up features of the existing membership, for example the ratio of children
to adults, young to old, women to men, and endeavour to balance these features,
if it is considered necessary. No prospective resident
would be excluded purely on the basis of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation,
class, religion, disability, relationship status or age. c) Suitability to the group Dynamics between the prospective
resident/s and the existing Members of the Co-op is important concern in the
functioning of the Co-op. Applicants may wish to consider:
their ability to work in groups, reasonableness, compatibility with the group,
their skills on offer, and their styles and biases. The most important thing
to keep in mind is that not everyone need be best of friends, just able to
work together for the common goal of creating a community.2. Co-op Criteria
3. Cohousing Criteria