To accomplish the goals of sustainability & fairness, all who live in the community are asked to contribute a minimum amount of service in accordance with their capabilities.  For times when this is not possible, a community policy will be in place to provide protection against the loss of volunteer hours.  The community is free to establish their own policies; however we can suggest two options.

The first is the “play or pay” policy. For guideline purposes, a $10 per hour value is assigned to each volunteer hour or a maximum of $350 per month.  Resident members are then able to pay a fee in lieu of performing their volunteer duties if they are unable or unavailable to do so.  Alternative policies might be created allowing members to bank a certain number of hours to be used when needed or having others cover the volunteer hours for you.  The bottom line is the community must be able to count on a certain amount of labor to sustain itself within established monthly fees.

Intentional communities like Phoenix Commons typically have decision making by consensus.  This process helps avoid conflict by assuring that all members have a say and everyone agrees to work towards a mutually agreed upon solution.  While this may take more time and effort at the start of the community building process, in the long run it pays great dividends as the community is co-created to reflect a shared vision. Group consensus process training will be provided to Phoenix Commons’ members as a way to support the community in developing these important skills. Emergency decisions are made by following established community guidelines.

Common facilities are designed for daily use.  They are an integral part of community life and supplement the living areas of the private residences.  The common spaces include a professional kitchen, dining area, living area, bathrooms, atrium garden, fitness/therapy area, decks and patios and community meeting rooms.  There are two additional community spaces that are flexible for use as determined by the members.

To avoid the need for that extra guest bedroom, Phoenix Commons has a guest unit available to residents at no charge for use by their guests.  Residents are responsible for the conduct of their guests and assuring that the unit is left clean and in good condition.  Any costs associated with a guest stays, such as additional cleaning or repairs, are billed to the resident.  This common co-housing amenity enables most residents to forgo that extra bedroom for out of town guests.  It can also be used as temporary housing for a community care giver if need be.