As we continue building our vision for an affordable cooperative community at Karwick Village, we’ve reached a crucial milestone: forming our first-year cooperative community board. This foundational step will establish the structure that empowers future residents to take part in this board and ensures Karwick Village thrives for future generations.
The First-Year Board: Setting the Foundation
We’re working with the Community Development Law Clinic at Notre Dame to support the development of the legal structure for our cooperative community board. We have three individuals selected from within our community to begin our board development. From there, we will begin to reach out within the community for fellow board members to join this one-year commitment as we ready our residents to take over their board the following year.
These founding board members will serve a vital role during our first year:
- Establish the board’s operational structure and processes
- Create governance frameworks that will guide the community
- Develop selection criteria for future resident selection
- Prepare to transition their seats to residents in the following year
- Guide the initial implementation of our cooperative community vision
A Unique Opportunity to Shape a Community: A True Cooperative Community Approach
Serving on this inaugural board at Karwick Village offers a rare opportunity to help shape the foundation of an innovative housing model in La Porte County. Future community board members will establish the Karwick Village Cooperative board framework and play a direct role in creating a sustainable, resident-led approach to affordable housing.
Our first-year board must begin with a minimum of three members. This initial board will require board members who will bring additional skills and roles as we progress. This phased approach allows us to start with a core team while planning for the comprehensive representation needed for a thriving cooperative community. This number is required to legally form our corporation for the co-op board at Karwick Village. We expect that these three members will set the ground work for the board to grow in this first year, and then transition the board to residents of Karwick Village the following year.
Skills We’re Seeking
We’re looking for community members who can commit to joining this first-year board. Particularly valuable skills include:
- Financial Management: Help navigate the financial fundamentals of our cooperative corporation board and develop sound financial policies for our resident board members.
- Organizational Skills: Assist in creating efficient processes and structures that will serve the community long-term
- Community Organizing Experience: Bring expertise in building collective decision-making and fostering community engagement
- Social Services Skills: Individuals who can bring social services knowledge to the community and the first year board would be invaluable to our board.
A Commitment to Community Empowerment
The first-year board has a unique responsibility: not just to operate effectively but to prepare the community within Karwick Village to govern itself. Unlike traditional boards that maintain permanent control, our board members will actively work toward transferring their positions to Karwick Village residents in the second year.
This approach embodies our core philosophy that residents should have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their homes and community. The first-year board will establish the systems that make this resident-led board at Karwick Village not just possible but successful.
How to Express Interest
If you have skills in financial management, organization, community organizing, social services, or an additional skill you think would benefit our first-year board at Karwick Village—and you’re passionate about affordable housing and community empowerment—we want to hear from you.
To express interest in serving on our inaugural cooperative community board, please contact us at info@homewardboundvillages.org. We’ll schedule a conversation to discuss the role, commitment, and vision for this vital work.
Together, we can create a community board model that ensures our housing remains affordable and community-centered for generations.