Community living: what are the benefits of cohousing during cost of living crisis and is it more sustainable?

There’s a spectrum in community living. Some people prefer living in a space completely shared, often called a commune, or some people prefer to live in independent housing with a shared living room and garden - often known as cohousing. 

According to the Office for National Statistics, a recent survey on public opinions and social trends for the period between 19 April to 3 May 2023 show that the most important issues facing the UK today are the cost of living (93%), the NHS (87%), the economy (73%) and climate change and the environment (61%). 

The most common reasons reported by those who said their cost of living had increased compared with a month ago, saw an increase in the price of food shopping (97%), an increase in gas or electricity bills (73%), and an increase in the price of fuel (40%).

So is community living a viable option to help reduce costs on food, energy and help curate a more sustainable way of living - and is it a good option during the cost of living crisis? NationalWorld spoke to two people living at Cannock Mill housing to see what life is like in a more independent option of community living.

What are examples of community living?

Barbara Simpkins lives in Cannock Mill Cohousing, and is one of the original founders of the place of living. One of the first things she flagged was the community spirit shared between occupants in the cohousing area - especially since the community moved in just a few weeks before lockdown. She says: “We care about each other and watch out for each other and look after the land. It’s a very nice thing to do together and during lockdown it was easy to do that and socially distance.” 

After the lockdown rules were lifted, the community shared activities with each other, including meditation, music appreciation, and even film nights. This way of living has allowed for people to lead separate lives while still maintaining that sense of community spirit. In other words, occupants can be alone, but they are not lonely.  

There’s roughly 30 people living in the co-housing community, which has its own benefits in sharing tools and equipment and sometimes even shopping. Barbara explains that all they have to do is drop a message into the group chat on WhatsApp and whatever you’re looking for will be at your door within minutes. 

She says: “We are quite economical with resources because we share a lot of tools, equipment, things around cooking and so on. That helps us live a more sustainable lifestyle”. In terms of sustainability, Barbara reveals that the community has regular meals in the shared mill area, where a group of people will prepare a meal for everybody else in an industrial kitchen. 

The occupants moved into their housing in late 2019 after spending 10 years finding, developing and building the site. Together, they built streets of terraced houses, some two story houses with garages and some three story houses with garages. 

The houses themselves are all passive, meaning they are all highly insulated and fitted with a special system called mechanical ventilation and heat recovery. There is also a system for refreshing the air, meaning the occupants do not need the heating on as much, which can help save with bills. In the garden, there are raised beds to grow vegetables, where they can be swapped and sold - which means a reduction on grocery bills. 

Compromises must be made

Sharing resources is a sentiment that was shared with fellow co-founder Eve Tibber. She says that purchasing her house “was absolutely wonderful” and was looking for something as green as possible. She says: “If I had to pay independently alone for this quality of housing I could not have afforded it. It’s also sociological sustainable - I feel like I’m part of a society too”. 

Between the efficiently built houses, carpooling and sharing resources, cohousing and community living seems like a very cost saving, environmentally friendly option that still allows you to be part of a wider community. But with any form of shared living - compromises have to be made. 

Eve explains that living in a co-housing community is different - as there is no one overarching person to go to for issues, such as landlord or parents. She explains: “Being in a cohousing; it's not family, it's not friends, it's not colleagues. You are with people who have no obligation to look after you when you are ill, who don’t have to provide you with emotional support like friends do but who you live and work with - but you have no boss.”

She goes on to explain that whilst disagreements are minor, it is important to be mindful that you need to think about other people and compromise and tolerance of other people is key. So would she recommend this type of housing to other people? 

How do you deal with community living?

Eve says it depends on what you like and what you’re looking for. She says if you’re looking for something that is completely shared - cohousing might not be the option as there you do live independently in your own housing. However, it is important to note that when living in a community - you will have to pull in your weight and contribute to some shared aspects, such as gardening, cooking or even cleaning. 

However, with the rise in the cost of living, the occasional food supply shortage and the environmental crisis - it seems like cohousing is an option that may help relieve some of the stress.