Whitehall is a democratically run, vegetarian, multi-generational housing cooperative. Our mission is to offer affordable housing, with an emphasis on community living. A Whitehall fact sheet from the late ‘80s states that Whitehall strives to achieve a non-sexist, non-racist, non-competitive living environment, and we continue with those intentions and values today.
Whitehall was established in 1949 as an all-women's student co-op. We went co-ed and started accepting non-students in 1971. You can learn more about Whitehall's history on the Whitehall History site.
Our members have varied a great deal over the years. We have had families with children, octogenarians, and everything in between. The average duration of occupancy is 18 months, with some staying for much longer. We prefer for members to stay for at least a year. As a rule, we do not offer hosteling as a housing option.
Everyone is expected to do 5 hours of labor per week, which includes a weekly house meeting. This can include kitchen tasks such as cooking, cleaning or shopping; general house tasks such as yard work, taking out the trash, recycling and compost, cleaning, household repairs; and other positions as approved by the membership. Current members both own the house and are responsible for running it. We have weekly house meetings every Sunday evening after dinner.
The consensus decision-making process is very important to us. Consensus works well for us and takes into consideration all our members’ feelings, opinions, beliefs, etc. It generally takes longer than "majority rule"; however, decisions don't need to be revisited often. Many of us believe that there is more harmony in the house as a result of each individual voice being heard and honored.
We always welcome inquiries from prospective members. If you are interested in living here we encourage you to contact us and arrange to come by for a visit or a meal. It is easiest for us to make decisions regarding membership on applicants we know well.