Hardy House Co-op
About Us
Our house in North Central Austin began as a conversation at the Austin Cooperative Business Association (ACBA). When word spread and interest grew, Hardy House was realized as a housing cooperative in August of 2019. Today, Hardy Co-op is an extension of the thriving cooperative movement in Austin, Texas, which features numerous member-owned and democratically-operated businesses and housing organizations.
Together, we share the responsibility of stewardship and decision-making for the House. Through open, democratic meetings, house members make their voices heard and make the decisions that shape our home.
Making a House into a Home
In our cooperative model, all of our members perform between 4 and 6 hours of labor for the house each week. This work ranges from cooking meals and washing dishes to house maintenance, outreach, and website design.
This collaboration allows us to increases affordability, strengthen community, and enables individual agency. This is the backbone of the cooperative model that puts democratic decision making into our own hands.
Why a Co-op?
Housing cooperatives are exceptional for their affordability, democratic ownership, community, and light environmental footprint. It is our democratic management structure that brings about affordability!
The cooperative labor and food systems substantially reduce extraneous time, commute, and expenses by divvying up the chores and food preparation between members and by purchasing food and other goods in bulk. The shared labor system and shared meals help to create a rich and vibrant community!
