Greetings! I am trying to form a community and long-term ecovillage near Portland Oregon and am seeking collaborators and potentially a bit of financial support.
The Vision:
My plan is to build a community-oriented household & ecovillage that upholds the values of kindness, cooperation, with ecological & social justice values, mutual aid, egalitarianism, open & direct communication, and cooperation. I am hoping to build this place into a collective household that is welcoming to all people who support these values.
The House:
For the past few years, I have been trying to buy my childhood home near Portland, Oregon. It is a unique and gorgeous large house in the forest, on a large wooded property. There are old trees, an adjacent forested park, and a seasonal creek.
The house itself has vaulted ceilings, multiple wood stoves, and 6+ bedrooms. There are some beautiful communal spaces, including three large outdoor decks, a library, a home gym, and 1.5 kitchens. The land is also zoned to build additional buildings.
The land where the house sits is beautiful and forested. In the surrounding old Douglas Fir and Cedar trees, I plan to build treehouses that function as both guest and education spaces. Additionally, I plan to created a gathering space - with a campfire pit used for social gatherings, outdoor gardens, fruit trees, tree house guest areas, and more. There is space for additional projects and ideas, brought by future residents. In essence, I want to create an ecovillage, inspired by others which I have lived in throughout my life. The household will function as safe and affordable housing for people who - like myself - have spent their lives trying to make the world a better and kinder place. It will also be a place to hold training, conduct skill shares, and host social gatherings. I also plan to maintain numerous guest spaces which will be available to friends and like-minded folks.
About me:
I was born and raised in the PNW. Nature has always been the place where I have felt the most happy and at peace. I grew up hiking, skiing, kayaking, and climbing (trees) all over the state.
Throughout my life, I have worked on many projects which include forest activism, volunteer medical and first aid projects, social justice groups, and more. As a youth, I travelled and hitchhiked all around this world. For my entire adult life, I have lived in various co-ops, ecovillages, and communal housing situations. Now, I would like to build one with the potential to last for decades.
I currently have a working class union job in the live events industry and co-founded a tree-climbing environmental nonprofit group which has been in operation for 20+ years. I am also an EMT, working in a Hospital Emergency Department. For the past five years, I have cared for my sick father in the house. Along those lines, I would like to create a household that has potential to always be welcoming to elders, people with all sorts of abilities, a diversity of ages, as well as activists, LGTBQ+ folks, POC, and others.
Potential help with securing the house:
I am currently trying to buy the house from a family member. I was on the cusp of buying the home Autumn 2022 when I was dragged into a custody battle with estranged family members over a sick family member whom I spent years caring for (Happy to speak in detail about this to this with any potential collaborators!) Sadly, all the money I saved for the house was eaten up in lawyer fees during a very long court battle in which I fought to protect my Dad. Since then, I have tried to rebuild my life and finances and buy the home. Unfortunately, I am currently just short. Due to the hardship of this event, I am seeking some assistance with this process.
There are a few potential solutions to the problem. Here are some.
(1) An investor could buy the house in full and I could pay them a standard mortgage over the next 20ish years. I work a full time job (plus another variable schedule union job). My personal income would be enough to cover mortgage payments entirely. Renter income would make this more possible. Additionally, I also have a year’s worth of payments in savings to fall back on in case of emergency. Investing in this house would result in long-time interest income for the investor, as I pay the mortgage over years.
(2) If I could secure a private loan of roughly $100,000, I could buy the house. I would be happy to provide my financial information showing my ability to pay the loan back, sign contracts protecting all parties, and pay interest. This could be a relatively short term loan, paid back in 5 years or less, if necessary.
(3) A co-signer could buy the house with me. With 1-2 cosigners, we could qualify for a loan together. This could be a temporary arrangement, where I could re-finances cosigners off the loan within 1-2 years. I would be happy to pay a significant amount for this service. And/Or, I could return some kind of large favor in the future. This person would also have the satisfaction of co-creating a long term stable community living household.
(4) Someone (the right person) to go in long term with me, as either co-signer or investor.
(5) Other creative solutions that I have not thought of! I welcome to further discussion.
For all of these options, I would be happy to have detailed conversations and show a financial plan.
Does anyone have any interest? Feel free to message me!
My financial needs are a bit time sensitive. I would be very happy to talk further, talk details, get to know each other, and share info - especially for people potentially interested in working together!
If you are interested in the community but cannot help financially, I would be happy to talk also!