Prospective new members need to spend time getting to know us and learning how our community works! As we are self-managed, we expect all members to participate in running the community. We do a criminal/credit check, but otherwise use a self-selection process.
Exploring Becoming a Member?
The purpose of our joining process is to provide an opportunity for you to become familiar enough with our community life to determine whether there is a good fit. Towards that goal, each adult member of the household must complete the following steps within the year leading up to the signing the Agreement of Sale of WCG shares:
- Take a community tour. Tours are generally available on Saturdays at 1:30 and Sundays at 4:00. Please email Lori at info@winslowcohousing.org or call Charlotte at (206) 842-3125 to schedule a tour. If, after taking a tour, you want to take further steps to get to know us and become a member, inform the tour guide of your interest.
- Attend a common dinner, or other community-wide social event. During most of the year dinners are held 5 times a week, Sunday through Thursday. Attending a community party or celebration can also meet this requirement.
- Attend one General Meeting. General Meetings are held monthly, usually on the second Saturday or Sunday of the month, starting at 9:00 a.m. and lasting about three hours. You should plan to stay for the entire meeting to observe how community issues are discussed and how decisions are made. Child care is usually available, but we need to know your needs in advance.
- Attend a cluster meeting. The work of the community is managed by the clusters. There are five clusters—Grounds, Common Facilities, Process and Communication, Maintenance, and Administration. Every adult member of WCG is required to participate in the work of a cluster. Clusters meet monthly.
- Participate in some work activity, e.g., helping with a common house meal, taking part in a Grounds work party.
Buying Shares in Winslow Cohousing
Becoming a member means buying shares in our housing cooperative, called the Winslow Cohousing Group (WCG). The Agreement of Sale is a 3-way contract, between the buyer (you) the outgoing WCG member who is selling the shares, and the WCG housing cooperative (all the members collectively). The contract determines the price and terms for the sale of shares. The shares entitle you to a lease on the home you will live in.
The membership application and joining process must be completed before the community will consent to the sale of WCG shares to a prospective new member. In other words, you negotiate a price with the seller of the shares, but you work with Process and Communication cluster members to complete the joining process.
The Joining Pack
When you are ready to seriously consider purchasing WCG shares and becoming a member, you first purchase the $125 Joining Pack. This pack includes an Application to purchase shares and an authorization for a credit check, each of which must be filled out and signed. The cost of the Joining Pack is not refundable; it covers administrative costs and the cost of the credit check. After you have read the material in the Joining Pack you will be asked to meet with a specified member to discuss the material in the pack.
Please download the document Becoming a Member to see the full process, including a complete list of documents included in the Joining Pack.
The Clearness Meeting
We will then schedule you to meet with several members of the community. This meeting allows you to go further with your questions, and for us to share our experience of life in this community. We call this a “clearness” meeting. We believe that people who are deeply informed will decide wisely for themselves about making their home here. We also recommend that you read the book, Cohousing, a Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves by McCamant and Durrett.
The Application
You then complete the Application to Purchase Shares and the Agreement of Sale, which may now be signed and submitted to the WCG Board President. The WCG Board has fifteen days after receiving notice of a signed Agreement of Sale to consider all of the documents and to approve or disapprove the Application to Purchase Shares.
Please note: during this fifteen-day period any WCG member may exercise their right of first refusal to purchase the unit themselves. It doesn’t happen often; obviously WCG members learn early about the potential sale and can speak up sooner than later. But this potential cannot be overlooked.
If the Application to Purchase Shares is approved and when your financing is complete, you will sign a Proprietary Lease for your new home and we will welcome you to our Community!
