ABOUT US
ABOUT US
MISSION
Our mission is to provide affordable, sustainable, and cooperative housing to our members, while educating the greater Houston community about cooperative principles and sustainable lifestyles.
VISION
Our vision is for all Houston residents to have the option of adequate, environmentally sustainable, cooperative, and affordable housing.
COMMUNAL LIFE
As a HAUS, we strive to be a place that is inclusive, fun, respectful, and silly! We sometimes have social nights together, we sometimes clean together, and we even occasionally have movie nights as a house. We always enjoy new members who are excited about spending time with the group and who are interested in building a fun communal space together!
COMMUNAL EXPENSES
All rooms in the HAUS Project are all bills paid, and when we say all bills paid, we mean it. Not only are all utilities and internet taken care of with our rent here, but we also allocate house funds for a whole host of things including kitchen appliances, toilet paper, furniture, laundry facilities and, possibly the most exciting part: groceries!
COMMUNAL MEALS
We really like to eat. Really. We have family style vegetarian sit-down dinners (remember those?) at both HAUSes every Sunday - Thursday at 7pm, trading off every Sunday for a big, potluck style gathering of both HAUSes. Aside from the food used in those dinners, the kitchens are kept stocked at all times for breakfast, lunch and dinner by our wonderful Kitchen Managers.
COMMUNAL LABOR
Each member is responsible for weekly labor, which can be spread out over a variety of tasks. We have labor teams devoted to maintaining the garden, cooking, cleaning, and more! In addition to weekly labor, the HAUS members all get together around once a quarter for a labor holiday where we tackle bigger projects like building beautiful brick walkways, refinishing a floor or room, and cleaning out the garage (again).
OUR IMPACT
- We provide safe, affordable, and sustainable housing to 30 people a year (give or take)
- We purchase solely renewable energy, preventing a significant amount of non-renewable resources from being used
- We recycle an estimated 4,800lbs of recycling per year at uRth HAUS and 3,800lbs at Rosalie HAUS, preventing 8,600lbs of recyclable waste from going to the landfill per year
- We compost approximately 3lbs of compost per day at each house, totaling in 2,190lbs of composte waste we prevent from going to the landfill per year
- We eat a vegetarian meal as a HAUS four times per week, saving 44,304lbs of feed per year #veggiepride
DEMOCATRIC PARTICIPATION
Each of the sister houses are structured as a cooperative within the main cooperative of HAUS. Residents control the governance of the organization through officer positions and voting in biweekly house meetings. The HAUS Board is comprised of an equal number of members from each house, overseeing budgeting, community engagement, and policymaking. Through this democratic structure, our housemates are empowered with the commitment and shared ownership of their home.