About Us
Who we are
RCHC is an affordable housing cooperative dedicated to providing a safe physical and social environment for all members at a cost below that of the Iowa City market average through consensus-based decision-making and shared responsibility to each other and our community. RCHC was formed in 1977 by members of the University of Iowa Student Senate as a response to the lack of affordable housing options in Iowa City (we are not U of I-affiliated). We are a cooperative alternative to the traditional landlord-tenant relationship and currently occupy two historic homes, with a combined 26 rooms, near downtown Iowa City.
How we work
Cooperatives work because we work together. Members pool knowledge, talent, energy, and time to our mutual benefit. RCHC keeps our costs affordable by requiring each member of the Collective to do a minimum of sixteen hours of work credit per month, eight hours for the organization and eight for the member's House.
House hours are completed through cooking and cleaning for your House. Collective hours are earned through meeting attendance, maintenance, administrative tasks, and participation on a committee of your choice.
Community
More important than the economical aspects of co-op living are its advantages as a social and learning experience. Members learn management, cooking, maintenance, and communication skills, and community at home encourages friendships, greater understanding of others, and an exchange of knowledge.
The strengths of cooperative living come from the cooperative philosophy itself: individuals coming together to have more control over their economic and social environments.
Collective Purchasing
Each house buys food as a unit, saving money with quality and quantity purchases. Communal meals are served on a regular basis with each member cooking twice a month for their House. The houses strive to accommodate the dietary needs and preferences of all their members when buying food and cooking meals; collective meals are cooked to the most restrictive diet, and food purchasing is a living conversation.
Consensus-Based Decision Making
Meetings are how we collectively make decisions for the Coop and our Houses. RCHC uses consensus-based decision making, and our meetings are conducted in accordance with nonviolent communication and feminist process. One of the most fundamental ideas of feminism is that we don’t all have equal access to power in this society, and feminist process is one way of beginning to address and redress that disparity. Feminist process is a way of structuring debate and action to include more people and to encourage people who usually follow to learn to lead, and vice-versa.
The most important part of feminist process is not a set of guidelines but of a constant awareness of the whole. That means waiting to let other people speak if you’ve been talking a lot; responding to the discussion rather than looking for an opportunity to make your point; being aware of how much other people are taking on and recognizing that everyone needs to do their part.
Safe Space
A safe space is a place where rules including the feminist process and nonviolent communication protect people’s self respect and where voices marginalized by mainstream society get a chance to speak out and fully be themselves without fear of prejudice and hostility, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, religious affiliation, age, or physical or mental ability and beyond. It should be a place where people can have deep, meaningful dialogue and support and listen to one another with mutual understandings. -from the RCHC Safe Space Policy
