Co-operative Living Information

Equilibrium Community Ecology operates a resource centre, including an advice and referral service, which encourages ordinary people to come together to form co-operative communities.

The centre's activities include research, advocacy and facilitation.

Advice and Referral
Our centre provides free advice, information and referral for people interested in joining or establishing a co-operative community. We cover the planning, finance and legal aspects of co-operative living.

Facilitation
We aim to help people come together to form co-operative communities that will suit their preferred lifestyle – whether it be an urban co-housing community for young families, a manufactured home park for retired people, a rural eco-village or an extended household.

Resources
We are accumulating an index of useful materials, including books, studies and papers, as well as establishing a reference library of our own.

Research
Our research projects include:

• investigating the effectiveness of NSW State Planning Policy 15 and other multiple dwelling planning provisions around the country;
• potential funding strategies for shared ownership; and
• developing legal templates and other documentation for establishing and operating co-operative communities.

Advocacy
We promote the social and personal advantages of co-operative living, and lobby and negotiate to provide more opportunities for co-operative communities to be established and their value to be recognised. This includes making submissions to all levels of government and speaking at conferences and other events.


Contribute
Opportunities exist for people to be involved at many levels – as members of our group, as people prepared to offer their services through our centre, and as supporters and donors towards the cost of operating the service. We welcome your contributions in any aspect of our work.

To take advantage of our voluntary service or to help us provide it:
Call 02 4304 1634 or
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