 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat are the benefits of Living in a PCH house? Community, lower than market rate rents, and democratic access to the decisions that affect our lives as residents. Are there drawbacks? Well, we are not a way to save money in the way that say direct home ownership is for many people. You do not buy a share to come into the house and you do not sell a share if you decide to leave. Also living together fosters a sense of intimacy that can be a kind of mirror, reflecting back how others see us. That helps us grow, but it’s not always easy. Who makes sure bills are paid, repairs are done, and the like? Each house is responsible for making the decisions and dividing the responsibilities that affect only that house. A directly elected board of directors sees to the overall well being of the PCH as a nonprofit. The whole membership meets at least once a year (and can convene itself) to instruct the board, elect or recall its members, or to overturn their decisions if necessary. What if my needs change and I want a different sort of living situation – can I still remain in PCH? It’s possible to organize new houses or building to meet new needs or changing situations. We need to be able to raise the capital, consider the needs of all potential new projects, and of course care for the new property. It is possible though to meet changing needs through our same organization. How can I help? You could donate or lend money; help with work parties to improve our buildings or neighborhoods; volunteer as an assistant to the board; or perhaps help in some way unique to you. What is the difference between a housing co-op and a community land trust? Both housing co-ops and Community Land Trusts are democratically structured, membership based, community land trust, work to create healthy communities through permanently affordable homeownership. Both are also nonprofit corporations that own property title. However Community Land Trusts (CLTs) only own the land and holds it "in trust" forever for the benefit of the community, while the building is owned privately and can be sold by the homeowner according to restrictions created by the land trust. CLTs combine features of private and community ownership. CLT homeowners have some essential benefits of conventional homeownership: lifetime security, a reasonable rate of return on their investment, and a legacy for their descendants. At the same time CLTs make access to housing available to those of modest means. CLTs enable a community to exercise more effective and representative control over its long-term development and prevent absentee ownership. No seller benefits from speculative gains and unearned increases in market value and moderate-income buyers are not priced out of the market and denied decent housing by such increases. While some housing co-op's house have full equity situations where one's share in the co-op can be bought and sold on the open market, PCH is a zero-equity co-op. We structured PCH such that nobody actually owns our houses. We all own them cooperatively for as long as we choose to live in them. When PCH tenants move out of PCH property they cease to have any ownership rights. To our knowledge we're still the only "formal" or real housing coop in portland. Generally speaking, land trusts provide housing for single-family, while housing co-op's tend towards shared living situations.
More questions? email us at pch@lists.riseup.net |