Website: https://www.patreon.com/thecompound
City: Highland Park
State: Michigan
Zip: 48203
Contact Email: dthecompound@gmail.com
Contact Phone:
Contact Name:
The Compound is a gorgeous 1914 house on a sprawling plot, right off of Woodward in Highland Park (Detroit). Seeking radicals, queers, @narch!sts, and socially critical writers/educators/artists to help co-create a burgeoning collective (short and long term).
Spacious 3000sf: big kitchen, two cozy fireplaces, light-filled LR gathers 20+, MCM paneled basement movie cave, book & zine library, dining room, breakfast room, laundry and basement freestore, 5 bedrooms, 2 baths + 2 half-baths, carriage house apartment, garage for your bike, huge yard with: fire pit, compost, park benches under shade trees, a plot for a garden, grill, layout chairs… Bedrooms are spacious and fully furnished. Charming and warm, the house has original colorful tiled baths, honey woodwork, built-in cabinets/bookshelves, decadent accents/original art, and wood floors. Clawfoot yard tub for summer soaks; we dream of building our sauna.
We have enjoyed weekly dinners, stuff exchanges, yoga/body work, art nights, direct action meetings, discussions, readings, queer parties — just to name a few. In a given month maybe we: talk big ideas, read/discuss articles, share skills, work on house improvement together, share explosive dreaming sessions, help each other, prepare community meals and deliver free food, have a slumber party, go on food rescue missions, host visiting friends…
In addition to cohousing, The Compound is a hub for pointed critique of monogamy, capitalism and myriad oppression. People come for shared projects/resources, and an expansive vision of pleasure, autonomy, interdependence, decentralization, and boundless queer joy. TC is explicitly ‘anti-monogamy’ (different to non-mono), and this antagonism is foundational to the project. A banner hangs in the hall, “this is a monogamy critical space!” We challenge coupledom, the nuclear family, and neo-liberalism as chilling to both autonomy and radical collective possibility. Folks have co-created media and experiences over many years that explore non-hierarchical relating/relationship anarchy.
Seeking ~2 residents to continue the cohousing and hub experiment. We do not pay rent, but share costs/utilities (for a big drafty house); rooms are generally intended for one person, sliding scale, average $500/month long term. Includes utilities, high-speed internet, furnished room, space for your events, guest room for your friends, rescued food, freestore, workshops, laundry, library, more as available.
Ideal Candidates bear some of the following:
– excited about learning, experimentation, work, fun, play, adventure, sharing housing, hub space, events! Living in a collective carries demands (daily interaction, weekly meetings, thought and action, chores, house maintenance, etc.) but we think it’s worth it… folks with experience or intrigued about intentional space to the front!
– working to resist avoidant (or codependent) behaviour and engage both boundaries and productive conflict (we have some supportive tools, and hope to develop more)
– find value in sociality in the home (everyone gets quiet alone time! but not a good fit for those seeking mainly solo undisturbed living)
– resilient to criticism/willing to actively support unpopular radical (visionary!? experimental!? risky?!) ideas and action. We are sometimes intentionally abrasive to liberal ideas of relating and organizing. We value discourse and are not a monolith — but we hope for some significant overlap and alignment.
– invested in the idea that we are each subsidizing communal living + event space with our work, creativity, and funds (and cleaning). We are considerably cleaner than most radical housing; the right person feels comfortable in and wants to contribute to a pleasantly cared-for environment (beyond the bare minimum of washing your own dish; we clean up after events, communal meals, etc.).
– mammal/furry pet free (we do have a fish) due to allergies, politics, aversion, other; NO CATS OR DOGS. Small pets like a hamster maybe, ask early.
– Racists, Sexists, TERFS, SWERFS, Bigots, Slut-Shamers, Zealots, Homophobes and other general WTF need not apply.
Seeking long term, but also open to hosting for a few weeks or a few months; traveling weirdos inquire! Interested in people who want to come to Detroit to work on a specific radical project (so tell us yours!?), or to help with our ongoing anti-monogamist and home improvement projects (we’ll tell you more!).