Our Legal Structure And Governance Style
We will be a Housing Cooperative and what that means;
A Housing Cooperative is a type of housing arrangement where residents collectively own and manage the property they live in. Instead of purchasing individual units, members purchase shares in the cooperative, granting them the right to live in a specific unit, and participate in the decision making process for the whole community.
The “Cooperative” as a legal entity owns the buildings and property.
Members own shares in the “Cooperative” which corresponds to their housing rights, further defined in our Bylaws (forthcoming).
Decision Making
Members collectively manage the property and together make decisions about maintenance and upkeep, budgeting and establishing rules for the Community.
Financial Model
Members pay monthly fees covering their share of the property’s taxes, insurance, maintenance, and shared utilities.
Members contribute labor to the maintenance and upkeep of the community.
These shared responsibilities contribute to lower housing costs for everyone.
The goal of shared ownership is to foster a sense of community and collaboration among embers. RHA emphasizes sustainability, affordability and inclusiveness. (inclusiveness meaning everyone participates.)
Governance
Rocky Hearth Alliance will be practicing Sociocracy.
Sociocracy is a system of governance designed to promote collaboration, equality, and collective decision making. “Socio” means companion and “cracy” means governance by a social group. Sociocracy has little to do with Socialism, so please do not associate one with the other.
Sociocracy seeks to create a more inclusive and efficient decision making structure, emphasizing consent, transparency, and accountability. It is often applied In organizations that value shared leadership and equitable participation.
Decisions are made when there are no resonated objections, ensuring that everyone's voice is heard and respected. This approach differs from consensus, which requires everyone to agree, and majority rule, which might leave minorities unheard. Of sociocracy we like to say “Good enough for now, safe enough to try”
Roles in the community are divided into semi-autonomous, interconnected groups called “Circles”. Each circle has a specific domain of responsibility. In a small group such as ours, you may very well be an army of one, and you may overlap into another circle when your help is needed.
Roles and responsibilities are assigned through open discussions and consent, rather than through ballots or hierarchical appointments.
Sociocratic organizations regularly evaluate and adapt their processes to meet evolving needs.
Benefits of Sociocracy:
Encourages active participation and ownership.
Reduces power imbalances and hierarchical bottlenecks.
Improves transparency and accountability.
Promotes flexibility and adaptability to change and growth.
Dispute Resolution as a Matter of Governance
One can hope that through communication workshops like NonViolent Communication and Imago Dialog that we can learn to treat each other with dignity and respect. That is why these two courses are encouraged. However, some conflict may arise, because basically, we are human. We all may be learning new ways of relating in a cooperative culture.
If and when a dispute arises between two community members the first step is to negotiate among yourselves. Try to remember to use the tools you learned in these workshops. Identify feelings and needs, Deep Listening, Empathy, etc.If you are still having trouble with your community member you may seek out a mediator either from the group or a trusted outsider. A mediator helps the disputing parties communicate, encourage creative solutions and will help to maintain control of bad behavior. If this process fails to settle the dispute, the mediator may bring the issue to the Wisdom Circle, our council of all members. The Wisdom Circle will hear the case and recommend a solution. It is strongly encouraged that you graciously follow the recommendations of the Wisdom Circle, build a bridge with your community member and move on. This process is very disruptive to our good natured community so we see it as a last resort. Both parties involved will want to consider how to make a repair for themselves and our community.