Adult 50 plus Commune Idea

Hi Chris, I started this thread because I was thinking there would be many older Hippies who like me would be living on the minimal social sercurity check. Today they are living alone in a government subsidized concrete apartment with a very dull social life, because no one cares about them, and very few visit them. The homeless shelters are also full of these older Hippies who lost everything after some big operation that drained their entire life savings. So, I agree. There is a serious need for a place that peace loving Hippies could come for safe refuge, and loving friends. We could garden together, cook together, play guitars, and sing together. Many of the communes I checked out want a lot of money to join. And the intentional communities are often gated expensive patio home developments. The religious communes want you to accept their philosophy. The survivalist want you to bring guns and ammo. So, starting a sane commune where ordinary old Hippies with limited income could live would be such a blessing in this crazy decade.

 

I am willing to work with others, as long as I am convinced they have good intentions toward other human beings. We all know that the internet if full of persons who present themselves as something other than who they truely are. A group of people living together must have good intentions toward everyone else in the group. They must care about and even protect their fellow members of the commune. So, by that I mean in the case of someone who sees an injustice being done to another member, such as stealing or bad-mouthing or even worse, I would see it as a breaking of the sacred bond of trust...resulting in bad Karma that would touch the lives of everyone. And so, a good well knit, well meshed membership is critical. I see a group of folks where each can contribute something special, like a computer expert would make sure that your lap top functions as it should. A guy with a background in auto mechanics would fix a disabled member's car. One with an electrical background would keep the solar system running properly. One with good cooking skills would make a good batch of vegetarian Guspatcho. I have two gay friends, men who got married in Fort Collins, because they needed the security of a friend in old age. One of them is 76 and the other is 79, both very much old Hippies. So, trust in their lives was a critical matter. They have no one else to turn to...at this age. A serious IC or commune for older Hippies is a serious idea. It is not about a party house. It is about long term good will toward our fellow humans.

 

I would like to clarify what I wrote earlier. In the post above, I said that we need to have good intentions and look out for one another. I wish to add that I based my opinion on my life experience. I was at several homeless shelters and saw what happened when one homeless person stole from another. Remember, both are very poor financially, both in the same boat. After that incident, the bad vibes continued to affect other people who were not involved in the first place. So, to clarify what I said earlier, I wish to add that if a group of us do manage to get together and buy a homestead in the hills, or along the Pacific Coast, then we would be financially tied together. So, if say eight of us have good enough credit to sign on the dotted line, then the trust has to be there, along with the good intentions. With one's income being exclusively social security, the bank loan will be low. If eight of us join together, then we could qualify for a big mortgage. That's where the trust issue comes in. For this to work, we need to know who the others are and maybe vote on who else we take in. A small group of us cannot provide a remedy for the country's homelessness problem; but, we can make a nice dent in it. Peace & Light

 

Have you even looked into getting a bank loan with 8 people signing on the dotted line? I doubt that's done very often.

 

Back in December of 2013 I was the first person to respond to this thread, and I'm afraid I made fun of it, as an "Old Hippies' home". Now I'm sorry for having done that, because Stormountainman has kept the idea going for two and a half years, and he's always kept an optimistic attitude about it, with a belief that people can treat each other well. I see lots of problems to solve, and maybe it's too idealistic, but you don't make good things happen without a positive idea from the beginning. So I want to say that if this scheme ever works out, I'll be wishing success to Stormountainman and his friends.

 

Good point Mister T, From what I know about mortgages is this: The bank mortgages and FHA mortgages are regulated by Fannie May guidelines. And the will want to make a "single family" loan, otherwise they will want to sell a commercial loan. So to get around this, the buyers would have to show the bank that they are related somehow. So, concievabley we can say we are brothers and sisters wanting to live together. I am willing to change my last name. My old one is not that important to me anyway. Can you dig? I don't know if the USDA rural development program has the similar guidelines concerning the residency requirement. But, it is worth looking into it. The bank may say that we cannot rent rooms out, as in a bed & breakfast house. They may accept eight or ten people living together based on a common belief in say Hinduism, or Wicca, or Navajo Way. My main wish is to help poor Hippies who are getting old and living on social security benefits.

 

It takes a little work but a bank will loan to a "trust" which would have to be created first... A lawyer would handle the paperwork on that. The "eight people" would form a "trust" the bank loans to the "trust". As people leave for some reason (death) or other people join, the "trust" would have to be updated. (involving more ;lawyer fees)

Not every member of the commune need to be part of this "trust" but the core group has to show their dedication to the "trust" legally or a bank won't touch it. Banks want a guarantee that they will get paid back.


Another option is incorporating the "eight" members, but then it would have to be a commercial loan... Which is another option. A corporation can out live the "eight" founding members so it's not such a "bad thing"...




( I put the quote marks around :"eight" because the number doesn't matter.... That's the number you used)
(Quotes around "trust" is because this may be called by a different name in other states)

 

Good Point Mister T,
I would think that if you form a corporation, eventually some people might have their social security benefits taken away. We would have to look into that. A trust or just simplely 8 people "invested" in the commune or "property" might be legal and the ones on social security could keep their benefits. I think as people leave or pass on would be a regualr thing, but the lawyer should only charge a minimal amount for the update. I know of several cases where people who were not related or married had gone into a partnership on a house. So, there are many ways to do this. Once we have the core group of members, then we can vote on new members, instead of charging rent for rooms. In this scenario, it would be ownership in the commune, not a commercial rent. What I ran into before was communes wanted like $750 per month in rent and then another $350 for food contribution. That would eat up most people's fixed income. So, if we have a decent mortgage, say from USDA Rural Development, then we all would know what the fixed costs are going to be , and we would only adjust for say the cost of heat. Solar systems improved dramatically this year. They have a new PRISM style panel that is 34% effecient. compared with the old 18% old ones. With that kind of power, we would be able to operate the well pump, and appliances inside the place. I still favor a wood burning stove for heat or one at each end of the big house. Wood is cheap in the eastern states, and expensive in the west. The strong among us could apply for wood cutting permits where the old beetle kill trees need to be taken out. If we want this to work, we can make it happen.

 

Great Idea ... but ... Yes ...people would have to be pre- screened ... sadly .... people take advantage ...

 

Yes, I never thought about pre-screening people before; but, because we'd have older folks, it would be a good idea. I also think the founding residents should vote on who they want living with them. After all, we'd be together all the time, cooking, gardening, and hanging out. I have lots of good ideas for water filteration, solar power, and building materials. So, I hope to find at least one or two knowledgeable guys with prior construction know how. I think we'll need a good sewing room, so I could have someone sew patches on my blue jeans for me. My eyes don't work as good as they used to. If you have ideas about the floor plans, or anything you would like to see in the way the place is built, let me know...maybe a doxie door?

 

Vote in. Vote out. The book by its cover deal. Never know.

Maybe start a Go Fund Me kind of a deal . I'll bet that there are old hippies that would like to help out even if they had no intention of being there.
I might still be into it if it's in Oregon.

 

If we find a private FUNDER we can just find an old house and do a roof tear off, put in new siding, get some windows from Habitat for Humanity and we could have it live-able in just a few weeks. In Oregon we would have a good growing season. My friend who lives in Eugene told me that during the season the food bank gives out free salmon steaks by the tray! Man, I love veggies, but smoked salmon...would be delux!

 

Oh you know it! My neighbor fishes all the time and he always brings me a jar of FRESH. SMOKED. SALMON!!

If I hadn't given up a very lucrative biz in Cali to move up here to be around my kids---I probably could have pulled it off myself. But--you know what they say about ones aunt having balls---------I've even forgone a retirement from the company to help them out concerning expansion. So it goes. Still interested.

 

Well, it will have to be either a benefactor, or a group of us getting a mortgage as a single family, or a group as investors. I live in Indiana right now. I would rather live near the Pacific Ocean. Hell, even Bum Frog Egypt would be better than Indiana.

 

My place is one state away...

 

Yes, I remember you are down near Chilicothe down by the big river somewhere. Don't get me wrong. I live in a nice house here. I've got lots of old growth hardwood trees around me. I've had nice weather all summer and all winter. The problem with Indiana is that it is so conservative. Indiana under Mike Pence does not give public assisstance to the old and the disabled. Indiana does not give out heat assisstance like say Colorado. Indiana food banks give one box of food once a year. In Colorado, you can go and get food twice a week. Indiana is a state that is good to live in if you are rich. On the outside of my time table, I will be out of here by spring.

 

West central.... Not near the river.


I'm also at 1300 feet above sea level, (which for some reason is important) and everybody thinks Ohio is flat.


I don't deal with the state programs... They are trying to make this state conservative too. Repubs don't like the fact that Ohio was a swing state for Obama... Twice.