SUPPORT RETHINKING RETIREMENT WITH THE COOPERATIVE MODEL
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Boomers Collaborative Foundation has launched their first ever end of year fundraiser. They’ve got an ambitious goal of $10,000. Donate now!
Their Mission: Boomers Collaborative Foundation is an Austin-based nonprofit providing holistic cooperative housing and assistance to ‘elder orphans’ (single adults, aged 55 and older, with little or no supportive family or children). They do this so that economically fragile seniors can build community and stave off dependency on public services by sharing resources to co-live, co-create, and thrive in retirement.
How you can help: Support their pre-development costs, every real estate project has upfront costs. The project is unique and your money goes towards organizing their co-op members and their mission to help provide better quality of life that’s affordable and sustainable housing for seniors.
Rethink and enjoy senior life through cooperative housing and support Boomers Collaborative. They’re creating a retirement housing model for the current generation of seniors and future ones.
Boomers Collaborative has been working for about 8 years with the City, developers, and co-op experts to bring this project together. And they’re in the final steps of a development contract for the first location, and they’re working to identify a second site in Austin! Your tax-deductible contribution will support their organizing efforts to recruit and train new coop members. Your money will directly help set the foundation for a new way for seniors to thrive in Austin.
Pitch in $21 to end 2021 today!
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ACBA/ACBF Board of Directors Elections Update
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DEADLINE EXTENDED: Are you interested in helping lead ACBA and support the central Texas cooperative movement? The ACBA and its partner organization, the Austin Cooperative Business Foundation, will hold their annual elections from December 15, 2021, through January 25, 2022. This year, we are asking members to select candidates for four open board seats. A ballot listing the candidates and outlining the proposed bylaws changes will be distributed electronically to member co-ops on or before December 15. Also in January, we will convene a General Meeting at which candidates will have an opportunity to introduce themselves. Stay tuned for details.
Board service is an excellent opportunity for any member-owner of one of our association’s co-ops to contribute to our work of supporting and expanding the cooperative economy in Austin and central Texas. This is an exciting time to join ACBA, as we continue to build on the success of our partnership with the City of Austin, the Texas Rural Cooperative Center, and Community Housing Expansion of Austin (CHEA). Hundreds of cooperators have participated in our workshops, and dozens have utilized coaching services (both established co-ops and co-ops in formation). We will continue helping serve and grow the co-op community in 2022. Contact ACBA for more information at elections@acba.coop. The deadline to apply is December 8th.
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CO-OPS IN BUILD BACK BETTER
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The major legislation working its way through Congress, Build Back Better, includes a new program to benefit co-ops. The bill includes $100 million for the Cooperative Lending Pilot Program. This will be deployed through the Small Business Administration and provide loan guarantees to eligible small business cooperatives short- and long-term working capital; purchasing equipment and materials; purchasing, constructing or renovating real estate and buildings; and expanding existing business. Crucially, the program removes a requirement to provide a personal loan guarantee, something that doesn’t make sense under normal co-op structure with many owners with equal shares of a firm.
The bill also includes major resources for cooperative and shared equity housing, summarized in this advocacy update from the National Cooperative Business Association (of which ACBA is a member): “Cooperative Housing – the bill provides $500 million to address the housing and community infrastructure needs of resident-owned manufactured housing communities (ROCs). ROCs are also eligible for grants through the Housing Investment Fund to capitalize, preserve, develop or rehabilitate the community. Separately, housing cooperatives are also included in the Community Restoration and Revitalization Fund, which allocates $500 million to Community Land Trusts and Shared Equity Homeownership Programs.”
These are great victories for the co-op movement, and will be a major benefit for new and existing co-ops around the country if the bill is ratified into law. As of writing Build Back Better has passed the House and is awaiting passage by the Senate; we look forward to seeing its passage in the near future.
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SHOP CO-OP FOR THE HOLIDAYS
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Looking for easy holiday gift ideas that support the Austin economy and your values? ACBA members can help. Wheatsville features a plethora of fair trade gifts and chocolates, plus toys, ornaments, and calendars at both the Guadalupe and south Lamar locations. Black Star schwag and 4th Tap merch will let your loved ones show their cooperative support in style. Or consider a Treasure City Thrift eGiftCard to help sustain a valued local business during these tough economic times. Happy holidays everyone!
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VULK COOP: MONTHLY MEETUP
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Date: Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Time: 7 - 8pm CDT
Where: Online - via Zoom
Topic: Book Review: Neo-Abolitionism by David Ellerman
Each month, the Austin Software Co-operatives Meetup reviews a topic or book that helps us discover the best ways to structure a software co-operative.
Join us remotely on December 1st for a book review of "Neo-Abolitionism: Abolishing Human Rentals in Favor of Workplace Democracy" by David Ellerman.
Feel free to read the book before the meetup and share your observations or join the meetup to hear our in-depth review and analysis (no prior experience required).
About the book:
High-level overview:
- Presents a modern version of neo-abolitionism which would also abolish the renting, hiring, employing, or leasing of other people
- Escapes the one and a half centuries old dichotomy of private employment versus public employment
- Explains through the intellectual history of three theories why the employer-employee relationship should be replaced by the system of workplace
Feel free to read the book before the meetup and share your observations or join the meetup to hear our in-depth review and analysis (no prior experience required). RSVP to receive your meeting URL before the start of the meetup. |
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HOUSING CO-OP DEVELOPMENT SURVEY
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Since late 2019 a group of Housing Co-opers formed a Housing Co-op Development Work Group with the goal of coming up with a model for sustainable growth for Housing Co-ops in Austin. We have created a survey to determine how much interest there is in current co-ops and/or the formation of a new co-op. Please fill out the survey if that sounds like something you would be interested in. Additionally, if you would like to join the Working Group please email ryan.nill@acba.coop.
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Now is a great time to get involved with our Board, Committees, Fundraising and Special Projects. We're working in many different ways to impact our local co-op economy. Click here to fill out the form on our website to get plugged in today!
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