Cohousing

The idea of cohousing aims to promote the benefits of living as part of a community, but with the privacy of individual homes.  

Housing 21 is proud to be the first local housing association to produce a Cohousing Strategy, which outlines how we plan to deliver cohousing schemes for older people of modest means. In particular, we are keen to focus on areas of deprivation and of diverse ethnic backgrounds, where accessing quality, purpose-built housing can often be more of a challenge. 

The cohousing model encourages residents to share communal facilities to create a strong sense of community. This can help to tackle social isolation and bring about social, environmental and economic benefits by sharing resources. 

Unlike other development projects, cohousing actively involves residents in the process right from the beginning. Residents are encouraged to influence the design of the scheme by voicing what communal facilities would be of most benefit to them. This could include creating a shared kitchen (in addition to their own private kitchens) to encourage cooking and eating together, allotments for growing produce or shared communal spaces for social activities. 

The feedback also extends to the design of individual homes and what features or designs they would collectively prefer.  

Our first cohousing scheme will be built in the Lozells area of Birmingham;  

We have also identified a second site for development, in the Jewellery Quarter area of Birmingham. 

We are always keen to hear from prospective partners about opportunities for cohousing development sites. Get in touch with the team by sending us an email.