Sir, - We noted with interest a most interesting article on a housing co-operative self-help group (Features, January 25th). At the end of there is a list of suggested alternative ways to provide for one's housing needs. It omits, however, to mention "co-housing".
Co-housing, developed in Scandinavia and the US, is typified by a medium number of private, self-contained living units (apartments, town houses or shared suites) arranged around a number of shared, commonly owned and operated facilities. Usually the private units are arranged around a courtyard, winter garden or sheltered private "street".
The shared "common" house will contain many facilities needed by everyone sometimes but not needed by anyone permanently: repair room, storage, children's and youth room, workshops, home offices and perhaps guest rooms, meeting spaces, cafe, dining-room, etc. Because of the provision of many, seldom-used spaces in the commonly owned areas, individual units can be smaller and denser, and thus more affordable. Many of the design features of co-housing revolve around creating a healthy, safe, environmentally friendly environment.
Co-housing is aimed at creating a mixture of people of different socio-economic categories and we are convinced that this diversity is essential to a good community. It would suit those who are on the housing list or live at home and those who earn more than the threshold limit for social housing schemes but are still unable to afford to purchase in the present inflated market. It is this latter population who will hopefully fall under the new "affordable" housing legislation.
There are a number of co-housing projects in the offing in Ireland and hundreds are in operation in the US, Netherlands and Denmark where they are considered conventional and routine (so much so that a government minister lives in one). Dublin Co-housing invites interested people to attend any of our weekly meetings in the Dublin Workingmen's Club (beside the Clarence Hotel) on Wednesdays at 7.30 p.m. or to contact us at 35 Parliament Street, Dublin 2 (016771766). - Yours, etc., B. O'Brien,
Dublin Co-Housing, Parliament Street, Dublin 2.