Help Start a Queer-Centered Housing Cooperative!

We are building a queer-centered housing cooperative in the Twin Cities! We want to establish an affordable, resident-controlled, community-oriented house that’s removed from the extractive housing market.  

Our co-op is grounded in equity, justice, learning, and care. We are committed to physical and financial accessibility and hospitality. We are creatives, artists, teachers, preachers, advocates, students, caregivers, and committed cooperators. We know that real, practical work is required to embody our values. Together we have years of experience living intentionally in community doing that work.

We strive to be rooted in radical love. Some of what that means to us: Supporting each other through growth and change with a commitment to consent. Advocating for community issues that especially impact BIPOC and queer/trans folks. Unlearning white supremacy culture. Building parallel power and mutual cooperation with our neighbors. Practicing creativity, skill-sharing, and resource sharing. Being rooted in a place. Participating in mutual aid. Living responsibly on the land that is stewarded by the Dakota and Anishinaabe people.

We are currently in the pre-purchase phase of our project. We’re raising money for a down payment while we’re also in discussion with institutional lenders for 80% of the purchase price. Purchasing as a co-op entity has several benefits, but it means using a commercial loan with a much higher down payment than a traditional mortgage. All funds raised will be used for the down payment, closing costs, initial repairs, and other related startup costs.

We hope you’ll support us if you:

- Want to celebrate Pride year-round through direct support to queer and trans folks.

- Want to be in relationship with us, receive updates, and read our reflections on this process.

- Want queer and trans people to have affordable, stable, safe housing.

- Want to remove homes from wealthy investors who are seeking profit at the expense of housing for all.

- Believe that true safety comes from community and relationships, not guns or cops.

- Believe that yards are for gardens and compost, stargazing and socializing. 

- Believe that sharing homes, tools, and resources is key to local resilience and care for the earth, the climate, and one another.

Who We Are:

Atzín (they/them): I am a mixed, Chicane, neurodivergant, queer & trans/non-binary, invisibly disabled multimedia artist who loves meeting my neighbors & making new pals :D I keep myself (too) busy mostly through making lots of food for my family’s small business, and hanging out with & walking as many dogs as possible. However, I’m shifting gears to start a Masters of Public Policy at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2021 to indulge the policy nerd side of me. I have a deep curiosity for the structures of the world around me, and I care profoundly about how they affect all of us as we interact within them. After bouncing around moving from place to place, I am thrilled at this opportunity to contribute to a community that is intentional and thoughtful in how we live. I look forward to working toward mutually supporting ourselves, our neighbors, and a world everyone can thrive in. I can usually be found enjoying excessive quantities of Skwinkles, doting on my beloved step-dog, or listening a variety of podcasts on decolonial/anti-imperialist political analyses.

Bianka (She/Her): I am a true Chicagoan down to the marrow. My Identity as Queer, an Indigenous Latina & as a Black Woman is extremely important to me. My passions are reflected in my work. I strive to further conservation, stewardship, and the preservation of the natural world as well as outdoor access and fair land use for underrepresented BIPOC communities. My passion for ecology and conservation drove me into a field where I'm able to balance stewardship, and education because I believe that the next generation plays a crucial part in shaping the future of the natural spaces in the world. My goal is to transform others into lifelong learners with a passion for the outdoors and to see more people of color and queer people pick up the passion for the outdoor along the way. In my free time I indulge in reading, herping, rugby, and activism.

CJ (they/he): I am a nerdy mixed Latinx queerdo, trans/non-binary introvert, aspiring writer, collage-maker, singer of showtunes, lover of musicals! I work for the Saint Paul Public library, and I also happen to be a Marine Corps combat veteran. I strongly dislike writing about myself, and I live with some invisible disabilities and anxiety that make it really easy to isolate, despite craving the company of others. I am an especially big fan of collaborations of all kinds, and family is profoundly important to me, chosen and otherwise. I have a great appreciation for getting my hands in some dirt, and love volunteering my time with gardening. I’m deeply passionate about food justice, and I strongly believe that everyone has a right to fresh and nutritious foods. As a big side note, I am also a gaymer and an avid reader of all things sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction, and magical realism. After a lifetime of housing instability, I am more than ready to have a place to call home. My dog child is also looking forward to a home with a big yard to explore.

Eric (he/him): I’m a queer, white writer, performer, policy advocate, and organizer. Spending my workdays advancing long-term campaigns with far-off rewards, I love coming home to the kitchen for the tangible work of baking bread or making a big pot of soup. I have felt most nourished living cooperatively in community, but in the last decade I’ve lived in a dozen different apartments and homes. I cannot wait to have more stability. I want to practice community safety through interdependence and relationships with neighbors, not militarized occupation. I love board games, hosting community gatherings and celebrations, and snuggling with my cat.

Ian (they/them): I’m a home cook, contra dancer/caller/organizer, and speech-language pathologist. I’m straight, white, gender-nonconforming. I like sad songs and weird, nightmarish fantasy stories. I lived in a co-op in Madison, and to state the obvious, it’s fun to live with friends! And because it was an affirming community, it was easy to make new friends there. I appreciated how I could contribute more to the house when I had energy, and find support from my housemates when I needed it. In our new home, I look forward to growing herbs and vegetables, cooking, hosting dinner parties, and maybe even queer contra dance nights if we have the space for it.

Reed (they/them): I’m a weaver, knitter, collaborative artist, and candidate for ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I’ve moved apartments 14 times in the last 10 years, and am ready to put down roots and be in community. A core aspect of how I live into my values and beliefs is creating a welcoming and hospitable home for family, guests, friends, and collaborators. I am most looking forward to nurturing a garden full of plants, herbs, and edible flowers, and to skill-share, learn, and make art with people. I’m white, queer, non-binary + trans, live with depression and anxiety, and am the caretaker of a very sweet dog and three cats. I love books about magical libraries, watching reality cooking shows, and dreaming about garden layouts, tea blends, and looms.

Perks and levels: 

All donors (any level) receive - An emailed copy of our yearly donor letter for at least the first 5 years of the house. Your name listed on our Supporters page of our website upon launch. 

$25 (unlimited #) - A vinyl sticker of our house logo. Stayed tuned for the name of the house + logo coming later this year! 

$50 (unlimited #) - A print of one of the three original plant-themed pieces of art by Atzín. 

$75 (unlimited #) - Yearly recorded video tour and update for the first 5 years of the house. 

$100 (limit 50) - Help grow our garden! Your name will be added to the design of the garden in a project by Reed (for example: your name painted on the raised bed, exact project is to be determined based on space). You will receive progress pictures and a video walk-through of the finished project. 

$250 (limit 3) - Original plant-themed piece of art by Atzín. 

$500 (unlimited #) - Your name will be put on a plaque as part of our partnership recognition wall inside the house. You will receive progress pictures and a video walk-through of the final wall.