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Welcome

Finding a house that feels like "home" can be difficult for anyone. For a person whose physical and financial resources are limited due to severe disabilities, it can be even harder. A Home In Community is a 501(c)3 status non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation. We help people with disabilities fulfill their dream of living in communities where they benefit from daily connections with others, while having opportunities to support and give back to the community where they live. We do this by:

  • Educating intentional communities about the benefits to themselves and others of building their communities so that they are fully accessible and visitable.
  • Providing information and support that makes it happen.
  • Partnering with Cohousing Communities to create subsidized rental opportunities for low-income adults with physical disabilities.

In our first campaign, A Home at Coho, we have purchased a unit in CoHo Ecovillage which will always be rented at subsidized rates to low-income adults with physical disabilities wishing to live in this Corvallis cohousing community.

Interested in receiving email updates about A Home In Community?
Contact us info@AHomeinCommunity.org.



Building an Inclusive Community: The AHIC Experience – Now Available on You Tube!

AHIC is delighted to announce that the informative presentation “Building an Inclusive Community: The AHIC Experience” is now available as a free resource through You Tube.

Hear the stirring story about how members of a cohousing village created an inclusive and visitable community. During the development of CoHo Ecovillage in Corvallis, Oregon, members established a nonprofit organization called A Home in Community (AHIC). For its first project, AHIC purchased a unit at CoHo to be rented at subsidized rates to people with physical disabilities who could not otherwise afford to live in cohousing. The presenters describe the process of forming and operating AHIC, the reasons why it was formed, the benefits of an inclusive and visitable community, and lessons learned to date.

You can view the two-part video at our YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/ahomeincommunity or through the links below:

AHIC Presentation - Part I

AHIC Presentation - Part II



Additional Resources

Visitability:  An Inclusive Design Approach For Housing - booklet from The Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA)

Basic Access In Every New House - brochure from Concrete Change.

The Secrets to Universal Design - A 5-minute YouTube video from the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access.



Our April 2010 Benefit Swing Dance was a great success!

AHIC's Benefit Swing Dance/silent auction was fun for everyone who attended and raised over $2,800 towards ensuring that we will always be able to provide subsidized housing in the CoHoEcovillage community for a low-income person with a physical disability. We particularly want to thank the Hilltop Big Band, CrawforDesign and Will Tucker, as well as these supporters of our event: Bikram's Yoga, Block 15, Blockbuster Video, Browser's Book Store, Cindy's Hallmark, Cloud 9, Corvallis Nails Spa, Corvallis Swing Dance Society, Dancing Oaks Nursery, Denison Farms, D'Vine Gardening, El Sol de Mexico, Evergreen Cuisine, FireWorks, Flat Tail Brewing, Fred Meyer - Albany, Garland Nursery, Gazette Times, GNC, Great Harvest Bread, Greg Warburton, Grocery Outlet, Harmony Pets, Indulge Day Spa, Jamie's Hamburgers, Many Hands Trading, Papa Murphy's, Ray's Food Place, Robert Maestre, Safeway, Sears, Senor Sam's, Studio One, Sunnyside Up, Trump's Hobbies, Trysting Tree Golf Club, Willamette Veterinary Hospital, Wineopolis, and WineStyles. Thank you! And special congratulations to our 50/50 raffle winner, Nadine Wurtz!



What Was New In 2009?


Lower Interest Rates On Our Loans!
AHIC raised over $100,000 to purchase the unit in CoHo Ecovillage. We also received three loans, two of which are interest bearing. We are pleased to report that the 7.5% loan from OSU Federal Credit Unit has been replaced by a private loan at 3.5% interest ($45,000). The private lenders of our second loan have graciously decreased their interest rate from 5.9% to 4.0% ($45,000). These lowered interest rates will mean a savings of over $2500 in the first year alone. Our third loan remains unchanged, a $20,000 zero-interest loan from the City of Corvallis on which no payments are due until 2011, when the full amount will be paid over the course of five years.

Mike Can Now Open His Own Door!
With no voluntary movement below his neck, our first renter, Mike Volpe, has always needed assistance to enter or leave his CoHo home. Thanks to a grant from the Blanche Fisher Foundation, a contribution from AHIC, and donated labor for installation, Mike now has the benefit of an Open Sesame. This allows him to open and close his door by using his mouth to press a button on his wheelchair. We’ve been hoping to add this feature since Mike moved in, and are delighted that’s it’s now in place.

AHIC Encourages Other Cohousing Communities to Consider Visitability Features
As part of our effort to expand the impact of our work, AHIC Board members presented a breakout session on Building An Inclusive Community at the 2009 National Cohousing Conference, held in Seattle in June. We are arranging to repeat the presentation in Corvallis this year – stay tuned for details! We are especially interested in encouraging newly forming communities to consider visitability features in their early planning.

Fundraiser a Huge Success
On August 8, 2009, AHIC held a fundraising event at CoHo that included a garage sale, silent auction, 50/50 raffle, face painting, bake sale, and music. Its success exceeded our expectations, bringing in over $3,500. Donations in the mail brought an additional $1,500.



Promoting inclusive communities

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