Communities Directory: Bob The House

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Formed: 1976

Bob The House

Seattle, Washington,

United States

Bob The House is a collective with a 30+ year history. We live among some large, old trees in Seattle's University District. We are composed of 7-9 members playing and figuring things out together. All of us are in our 20s and 30s, pursuing our own goals and interests. We are also learning to work towards collective interests and goals to create a home and a support network for offering our potential into the world. We are an active bunch, prone to deep thought, feeling and introspection.

Our house is like another housemate, an old rambling friend with compelling wooden bones and mysterious interests and goals. We continue on in an exciting phase of archiving where the house has been, where it is now, and where it may go.

We come together regularly each week for meetings to discuss ideas, share differing views and attempt to understand and honor all of them by creating collective decisions. We have recently returned from an experiment with majority rule to making decisions using a form of consensus.

Members maintain financial independence, yet we do contribute a fixed dollar amount each month to our communally held bank account. In turn, every member is entrusted with the use of funds to purchase collective goods and services that benefit the community. Specifically, we share food, and other essential daily items of life.

Each member contributes time and labor towards maintaining the structures within our community(currently in the amount of four hours per week). We have wavered between assigned, voluntary and anarchical shopping and bathroom chores(these have been fruitful experiments(ask us about them!)). Members contribute further labor and time towards systems within the community as each sees fit.

We appreciate the mischievousness and fun, as well as the struggles and frustrations that naturally accompany collectively living together. We enjoy each person and learning the value of each part of our whole.

We strive to interact with our environment in ways that feel generative and healthy and this tends to engender a lot of experimentation with sustainability projects including alternative energy and alternative ways to live in a city.(hundred mile diet, making our own food, fermentation projects, dumpstering, gardening...)

We enjoy creating and cultivating connections with other people and groups who also are a mighty force for joy, social justice, responsibility and kindness.

Contact:

Seattle, Washington United States
Phone: 206-527-5640
Send an Email

Seattle, Washington 98105-3409 United States

Former/Other Names: Cherry Hill MDA (Boston), The Even Worse House (Olympia)

Last Updated:8/19/2009

Visitors Accepted

(We love visitors! We learn a lot from you! Hooray!)

Visitor Process: Individuals wishing to visit Bob The House should either call or send an email to schedule a time. Please indicate the purpose of your visit and bring some cookies(or celery!(or kale!(or tea!(or berries!)))).

Affiliations: Wedgwood House

:: Sunset House

:: Sherwood Co-op

:: PRAG House

:: Emma Goldman Finishing School

Network Affiliations:

Northwest Intentional Communities Association

Population Adult Members: 6 (We were 8 until recently. At most we have been nine.) Child Members: 0 Non-member Residents: 0 (We do like visitors though! Truly!) Open to new adults: Yes Open to new children: Yes (Potentially, older children especially: the house is quite eclectic in structural capacities.) Gender Balance: 50% M 50% F Open to which gender(s): All genders welcome (We are aware that there are many ways to experience gender identity. We experience some of them ourselves.) Ethnic Diversity: 16% identify as 'non-white' Age Focus: No Focus	Government Decision Making: By consensus Identified Leader: No (We are all leaders. We are self-organized, restless and anarchic) Leadership Core Group: No (Every one of us is called upon to help lead our process)	Labor and Money Financial Style: Members have independent finances Open to Members with Pre-existing Debt: Yes (Some of our favorite members have joined with pre-existing debt!) Labor Contribution: Expected (We have recently consensed on a 4 hour per week contribution and there are still things outside of that, like updating this listing, for example.) Join Fee: No (However, there is a required deposit in the amount of monthly rent.) Regular Fees: Yes (Monthly Rent + collective expenses(food, home improvement, art supplies, bribes, bills and internet/telephone included))
Land and Buildings Urban (Yet, we are on a large leafed tree lined street. It feels kind of sleepy for an urban setting. Also, our yard is a wild permaculture experiment!) Land Owned By: An absentee landlord (Our relationship continues to evolve) Number of Residences: 1 Cohousing: No (We all share the same house!)	Food, etc. Percentage of Food Grown: 1-5% (Some members maintain a small organic plot in the local community garden and a bit of food is grown in the yard.) Share Community Meals: 2-5 times/week (sometimes more sometimes less) Dietary Choice or Restrictions: Diet is up to each individual (Food collectively purchased is vegetarian. We consider each other's preferences and needs when cooking.) Dietary Practice: Primarily vegetarian (Lots of vegan delights, sometimes some dairy, meat is on your own.) Alcohol Use: Used occasionally (Some of us never, some of us fairly frequently.) Tobacco Use: Prohibited (Don't smoke in our house!!!)	Social Factors Open to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and/or Transgender members: Yes (We don't talk about our own or each other's identities very often. We are learning.) Restrictions on Romantic Relationships (between consenting adults): No Shared Spiritual Path: No (Some members identify with a specific spiritual practice)

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