The purpose of this questionnaire is to help you discover and consider some issues relevant to living in community. By having a better understanding of these issues, you will be better able to decide if living in Rocky Corner is right for you and you’ll be better prepared to live in community.
Each adult member of the household must complete this questionnaire either in writing or at an interview with someone from the Welcoming Committee. The questionnaire’s purpose is not to decide if you’ve given “correct” answers but rather to determine if you’ve addressed the issues of living in community and to help you do so.
QUESTIONS
1. Have you lived in shared or cooperative living situations before, such as other intentional communities, shared group households, student housing co-ops, or college dorms? If so, how was that experience for you?
2. What experiences have you had in other types of community settings, such as involvement in non-profit groups, religious organizations, food cooperatives or cooperative childecare?
3. How have those experiences influenced your interest in Rocky Corner?
4. What are your fears or concerns about living in Rocky Corner?
5. What are you most looking forward to about Rocky Corner? What benefits do you hope to realize by living there?
6. What will be your greatest personal growth challenges of living in community?
7. What is your current family situation (marriage, civil union, or other relationship; children, grandchildren)? What members of your family or others do you expect to have living with you at Rocky Corner, either full or part-time?
8. What is your response to the Rocky Corner Vision statement and Caring Communication Guidelines?
LOCATION & ENVIRONMENT
- Are you attracted to living in a residence that will be surrounded by open fields, working farms, farm animals and opportunities for walking, cross country skiing and kite flying?
- Would you be OK with a very small private backyard, while having access to a larger portion of shared land?
- Are you interested in having the option to be involved in farming or community gardens?
COMMUNITY DESIGN
- Are you comfortable living in a neighborhood with clustered houses and walking from a peripheral parking area, in order to have a child and pedestrian friendly car-free area?
- Are you interested in living in a duplex or triplex without a basement, as a way to save cost and have less environmental impact?
- Would you like to see home-based businesses as part of the neighborhood?
- Would you like to have the ability to benefit from a common house with shared space for meals and other activities, and with the chance to share equipment with those of like interests?
- Do you like the idea of having your young children be able to walk safely to their friend’s house without adult supervision?
- Do you have a dog or cat and, if so, do you consider yourself to be a responsible pet owner?
IMPORTANT VALUES
- Do you feel comfortable with the idea of living in a small home that follows a common design with little opportunity for individualization in term of size or shape?
- Do you value a mixed neighborhood with plenty of families with young children, working couples, and elders?
- Our vision statement includes this sentence: Our community promotes the physical and emotional health, safety and security of our members and guests.
- Are you interested in helping to create a model cohousing community that people would travel to visit?
- If you experienced conflict with one of your neighbors, would you work constructively to resolve the issue?
- Is it important to you to be a part of a community of people who are committed to many of the same values including living sustainably with a small environmental impact?
- Would you like to be involved in establishing and maintaining the expectations for our neighborhood around such things as pets, clotheslines and parking?
- Are you energetic, interested in developing your skills for working in a group, and able to take initiative?
- Are you someone who is willing to work things through that affect your daily life with a group of people, many who have similar values but may not agree on everything?
- Are you willing to serve on one or two committees that will be in charge of various aspects of the community?
- Are you interested in sharing community dinners in the common house on a regular basis?
- Are you looking for a community rather than a dream home?