North American Students of Cooperation | NASCO

This workshop will provide an introduction to the basic elements of a housing cooperative, the purposes for forming housing cooperatives, and an outline of the steps necessary for forming a new coop. We will look at two models for preserving permanently affordable housing: limited and group equity. Panel speakers and small group discussions will cover: - Describing differences from condo or single-home ownership - Demystifying stereotypes around governance and organizational stability - Explaining why housing coops were not involved in the recent mortgage crisis - Discussions of the challenges involved in starting new housing coop projects Time permitting, we will also discuss: - How housing coops relate to the broader cooperative movement - Historical background, including public policy that led to the growth of housing cooperatives, and connections to organized labor - Issues involved in financing a new project

The systems of oppression that we inherently oppose as organizers — patriarchy, classism, racism/white supremacy — can take hold in our organizations if we aren’t intentional about our organizational structures. This workshop will share concrete examples of how non-profit and collective organizations are building participatory decision-making, non-hierarchical organizing, healthy interpersonal relationships, and other democratic frameworks into their organizational structures. We will explore how sharing power in processes ranging from budgeting to strategic planning can empower our constituents. We will learn how we can draw on grassroots organizing histories in the US and beyond to inform our democratic processes and support our work for justice across issues and movements.

This workshop will provide an introduction to the basic elements of a housing cooperative, the purposes for forming housing cooperatives, and an outline of the steps necessary for forming a new coop. We will look at two models for preserving permanently affordable housing: limited and group equity. Panel speakers and small group discussions will cover: - Describing differences from condo or single-home ownership - Demystifying stereotypes around governance and organizational stability - Explaining why housing coops were not involved in the recent mortgage crisis - Discussions of the challenges involved in starting new housing coop projects Time permitting, we will also discuss: - How housing coops relate to the broader cooperative movement - Historical background, including public policy that led to the growth of housing cooperatives, and connections to organized labor - Issues involved in financing a new project

The systems of oppression that we inherently oppose as organizers — patriarchy, classism, racism/white supremacy — can take hold in our organizations if we aren’t intentional about our organizational structures. This workshop will share concrete examples of how non-profit and collective organizations are building participatory decision-making, non-hierarchical organizing, healthy interpersonal relationships, and other democratic frameworks into their organizational structures. We will explore how sharing power in processes ranging from budgeting to strategic planning can empower our constituents. We will learn how we can draw on grassroots organizing histories in the US and beyond to inform our democratic processes and support our work for justice across issues and movements.