What is Black Country Cohousing?
Black Country Cohousing is looking to establish a housing cooperative in the West Midlands. We want to address the chronic lack of accessible, affordable and secure housing within the Black Country (as well as creating an intentional community of LGBTQ+ people, Disabled people and their allies) by creating a number of affordable and wheelchair-accessible individual homes as well as communal spaces on one site. Through cooperative ownership, we will be able to combine our resources and give access to long-term housing opportunities to a community that is traditionally underserved by the current housing market.
Who is part of Black Country Cohousing?
Currently, we are a small yet diverse, multigenerational group. Some of us are Disabled, Neurodiverse, and LGBTQ+; others are supportive allies who want to live in a mutually supportive low-impact community. We may all come from different backgrounds, but we all share the same goal - creating a better solution than what is currently available in the housing market for good quality housing that provides a community and a roof over our heads. Cooperative ownership will
give us a far better chance to own something collectively than separately. What brings us together is a belief in social justice and a view to supporting each other and the broader community in addressing societal inequities. We see our diversity as our strength. We are looking for more like-minded people to join us as members and supporters of our project. If you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch with us.
Housing co-ops are generally non-hierarchical structures.
This means that everyone has a say and plays a part in keeping the community running smoothly. There is no "manager" or "leader". Every member has equal rights and responsibilities. We use a democratic process called consensus to decide how the community is run. This means we all work together to find mutually acceptable solutions rather than creating a majority rule situation.
Where Will Black Country Cohousing Be?
The Black Country is part of the West Midlands, west of Birmingham. A former industrial heartland, de-industrialisation took its toll in the 1970s and 1980s. But thanks to an engaged local community, supportive of local projects and large-scale regeneration, funding is now flooding into the area.From the Black Country Enterprise zone, the Brierley Hill extension of the Midlands Metro tram service, and many other projects, the Black Country is rapidly
changing its image and becoming the place to be for artists, families and businesses alike. It is ideally placed for commuting to Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Worcester but still offers a variety of better value-for-money properties than city-based locations. It also has countryside on its doorstep - The Clent Hills, The Wyre Forest, and rural North Worcestershire and South Staffordshire are all a short drive away.
A Housing Cooperative is a form of community led housing which enables its residents to be both tenant and landlord.
Being both a tenant and a landlord, housing co-op residents have far greater freedoms and security than renting on the open market.Housing co-ops also provide a sense of community - with shared gardens and other communal spaces. Unlike many other housing co-ops, at BCCH, we feel that it is important for us to have individual
housing units - which could be a house, bungalow or flat, as well as these communal spaces as it is important for those of us who experience sensory overwhelm, anxiety or just simply a desire to be alone for a time. Being part of a housing co-op can offer more than affordable housing security. At BCCH, we are looking to make our housing co-op an example of best practices of sustainability and accessibility.
Our Vision
Equitable living
We want to create a community where everyone is valued. Everyone has valuable skills to bring to the group. Giving everyone the same (equality) doesn’t mean giving everyone equal access. Equitable living means sharing resources to enable everyone to reach the same goals. On an interpersonal level, it will mean being flexible, understanding and embracing multiple forms of living.
Creating a safe and secure place to live
Housing insecurity is a blight on 21st-century Britain, from unaffordable mortgages to poorly maintained rental properties. Cohousing looks to provide mutual property ownership where we can live as an intentional community with shared values whilst still retaining our personal space with high-quality, sustainably built and well-maintained buildings that are physically accessible for those who need it today those whose needs may change. We will also secure the external environment of the community by keeping cars away from the communal garden, making it child-friendly.
All voices will be heard
and have equal value
All decisions regarding the group will be made with the use of cooperative decision-making tools. The community will be managed by and for the group with honesty, integrity, and transparent governance.
Creating a community that believes in social equality
All decisions regarding the group will be made with the use of cooperative decision-making tools. The community will be managed by and for the group with honesty, integrity, and transparent governance.
We treat each other with compassion, respect and understanding
We will ask each other to apply the principles of non-violence - toward the site, the people, and our interactions.
We believe that climate justice, social justice and Disability justice are one and the same.
We work towards our shared goals of sustainability, social justice, and creating a more accessible world, because without meeting all these aims, we do not believe that we can truly achieve justice for all.
Making space for creativity
Accessible workspace is often very expensive and difficult to find. A creative workspace alongside living space on site allows professional creatives and hobbyists to work in affordable and accessible workshop space.
Living and working cooperatively
By working together, we can share our skills to benefit the community and meet our mutual goals of creating an accessible and sustainable society and helping the broader locality by creating a disability information hub/community resource hub.
Living a sustainable life, not just in a sustainable building
By creating urban agriculture (food gardens, mushroom farm etc.), car sharing, implementing a recycling system above and beyond what the council can offer, composting, sharing tools and other infrequently used items.
Our Story
One member was living abroad and looking at building a shared network of resources for friends who were finding it more financially and physically challenging to maintain a house as they aged. A friend of theirs, and now a BBCH member based in the UK, experienced two periods of homelessness due to no-fault evictions in 18 months. This experience led to both of them discussing how there might be solutions to their problems together.
2013
In 2019, our member R had significant health challenges, meaning they needed much more assistance than previously. Their house wasn’t accessible, and they spent the next three years battling with the council to make changes suitable for their needs and the building itself. In the end, the building itself was deemed no longer suitable, and they were moved into more social housing, which had just as many issues, just different ones.
2017
As a group, we undertook a cohousing course, which initially seemed to be the right direction. Still, we quickly realised that mutual ownership by requiring capital pushes out the people we seek to include in our project. One member undertakes an access auditing course, which starts them on the path of understanding what is and isn’t suitable in the built environment for people with a wide range of Disabilities.
2021
We welcome more members, start working with WMUCH and WMCA, solidify our plans more clearly with architects, raise funds and search for a suitable site.
2023
2014
Our member S, went on a Social Permaculture course to look at creating systems around the processes to make the project work.
2020
Another member, M, became a single parent in 2020 and struggled to get their landlord to maintain their property to a reasonable standard. After hearing about BCCH through friends, they decided to join, hoping to help build a future for their family where they would no longer have to pay high rent for substandard accommodation.
2022
We welcome more members into the project and become a company limited by guarantee. We explore our options for joining secondary co-ops and soon realise we must convert to a co-operative society or a community Benefit Society.
Our Goals
We want to create a community of co-operatively owned homes that are well maintained, sustainable, accessible, and affordable, with a community that has facilities that support modern day living, in the Black Country.
Interested in learning more about our project? Click below to find out more about our volunteering opportunities or how to apply to become a member.