535 Fulton St E, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Here at the James Russell House you would be an equal member/owner of our non-profit company, the Grand Rapids Alliance for Cooperative Communities. GRACC (pronounced "grack") hopes to foster a framework for creation, growth, and connection. We seek to connect our members to their local community and to the global cooperative community. As individuals, we aim to grow collectively from every partnership. Together, we hope to live intentionally in a way that helps grow our communities into healthy and sustainable environments that blur the lines between life, work, and play.In the end, we fight for the chance to create the world we want to see and we celebrate the opportunity to do it together. We try to create a shared vision based on building a sustainable, cooperative future in the greater Grand Rapids area and we do our best to make this a fun, collaborative effort. We have eight separate suites. Each suite has up to four bedrooms, one kitchen, a bathroom, and a shared common space. There are twenty-four bedrooms, eight kitchens and common spaces, and twelve bathrooms. Our main living room and our master kitchen are on the first floor where we regularly gather for house dinners, meetings, and social events. Our house was built in 1853 but our co-op is only in its second year, so we still need you to help us grow.Participation in house meetings and at least sixteen hours of hands-on contributions are requested from every member each month. In our community, sweat equity is just as important as paying rent on time. We always encourage members to go above and beyond to help our co-op flourish. You ultimately get out of this community what you put in. With this being a new project, you can expect to easily exceed four hours of contributions per week.Our co-op is unified through the use of focus groups that we call "circles". Each week individual circles, like the Food Circle or the Grounds Circle, meet to discuss relevant topics and delegate tasks. This gives members a forum to voice their opinions and concerns while encouraging them to step up as leaders to carry out tasks. The main goal of our circles is to properly delegate tasks and to help us create a thriving community.It takes many hands to build a community. For more information, check out our website www.jamesrussellhouse.com or find us on www.facebook.com/groups/GRACC/In response to this ad, please answer the following:- What are some positive qualities and values that you possess?- Why do you want to live intentionally? - Do you have skills or trades to teach us?Keywords: co-op, cooperative, intentional community, fulton, nightly dinners, grand rapids, heritage hill, downtown, roommates, garden, yoga, urban farming, spacious, clean, fun, music, group outings, art, local organic food, vegetarian, vegan, canning, organization, sprouting, recycling, composting, farmer's market, gardening, emt, carpentry, power tools, biking, bicycles, bike repair, children, family.Most common room rate is $380 but varies depending on the space available. Room availability is dependant on co-op application and membership status.$50 GRACC member share (included in deposit), one time $37 NASCO share, $90/month for food, $25/month for utilities, at least 16 hours/month of contributions toward the house circles (It is important to stress that a strong desire to contribute and a commitment towards the growth of our community is highly valued. If you join our community, you can reasonably expect to contribute more than 16 hours per month. In the lease we ask for 16 hours as a minimum contribution, expect that if you go above and beyond it can be very rewarding. It's all part of cooperative living.)