Whitehall is a vegetarian, multi-generational housing cooperative located in Austin, Texas. Our mission is to offer affordable housing for those with low income, with an emphasis on community living.
We are located two blocks west of the University of Texas at Austin, at the corner of Nueces and 25th Street. Whitehall was established in 1948 as an all women's student co-op. This makes Whitehall the oldest housing cooperative in Texas. We went co-ed in 1971.
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 hosteliing as a housing option.
We always welcome inquiries from prospective members. If you are interested in living here we encourage you to make contact with 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.
Every one 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. The largest part of labor is management; 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.
