About
CO-HOUSING COMMUNITIES FOR PEOPLE 50+
It’s the art of sharing resources to make life more enjoyable and affordable.
At Cohousing Ireland, we are passionate about pioneering a new way of life for people over 50 in Ireland. Many successful co-housing developments have been established in countries such as the USA, UK, and Canada, and our mission is to bring the concept to Ireland. We set up a new “not for profit” social enterprise in 2023 to make this happen.
Co-housing communities for people 50+ provide well-designed private homes in neighborhoods that balance the autonomy of having your ‘own hall door’ with living among neighbors committed to ‘looking out for each other.’
They are not supported housing or retirement villages but a self-managed community that has had input into the development's design and determined the amenities it wishes to have.
We have researched the experiences of others in establishing their co-housing communities and talked to many of the founders. We clearly understand the benefits of living in such communities, but we are also very aware of the challenges in making it happen.
Successful communities, such as Cannock Mill in the UK, can take many years to progress from establishing a group of interested buyers to moving into a new home. We aim to help ‘fast-track’ this process as much must happen between those two points.
Our expertise lies in guiding the process of moving from a disparate group of interested buyers through forging a common understanding of what sort of community the group wants. We will assist in finding a suitable site, selecting an architect who understands co-housing, obtaining planning permission and raising the necessary funds. We will also support each group develop and sign off on their own Community Charter – setting out the values, decision making processes and the modus operandi of the group.
