Mission and Vision

“Bloomington Cooperative Living creates and maintains affordable, communal housing in Bloomington, Indiana that is democratically controlled by residents” – Adopted July 2021 by the BCL General Assembly

As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we believe housing is a human right. We work together to create, maintain and expand affordable housing in Bloomington, Indiana without a profit motive by:

• Creating institutional structures that allow community-based ownership and administration of large assets in order to benefit from economy of scale and prevent profiteering
• Establishing governance structures and shared values that help us end exploitation of people in need of housing
• Building administrative and decision-making structures that encourage collective democratic decision-making
• Recognizing the ways in which our members and affiliates are already part of the communities around us as workers, students, friends and families while integrating ourselves and our work into local communities and institutions
• Recruiting members who are capable of providing help and support to other members
• Addressing member’s material and emotional needs inter-personally and institutionally
• Responding to members experiencing distress with compassion and care for both the member and the community
• Rejecting the imbalanced power dynamics created by charity
• Expecting members to contribute to our common cause to the extent they are able
• Asking members to learn and grow in their work toward the fulfillment of all aspects of this mission statement and supporting one another’s growth to this end

As part of the BCL mission and commitment to affordable housing, 75% our members meet national, state, and local low-income standards. All members at Middle Earth and The Trellis fall below the 80% threshold for the HUD Bloomington metro area.

History

Bloomington Cooperative Living was founded in 2007 by students from Indiana University with the guidance of experienced cooperatives in: Ann Arbor, MI | Madison, WI | Athens, OH | Berkeley, CA

Our range of members expanded to include community members and families from Bloomington and South-Central Indiana.

Starting in 2010, BCL began leasing the homes currently known as Goodlawn and Which House, at the time called Rivendell and Helm’s Deep, respectively. In the following year, BCL incorporated into a nonprofit. By being a non-profit, BCL doesn’t pay taxes, and members don’t pay sales tax when making purchases for the organization.

BCL’s first owned property was Middle Earth at 404 West Kirkwood Avenue. This house is named in homage to its predecessor the Middle Way House. The 2011 purchase was acquired through loans from Shared Capital, IU Credit Union, and Middle Way House. It has undergone major renovations since then!

In 2020, BCL bought the Trellis and undertook major renovations, finishing in April 2022. Mercury, the newest addition to the community, joined the organization in 2023!

With three owned homes (Trellis, Middle Earth, Mercury), and two rented homes (Goodlawn and Which House), BCL continues to grow as a community and as a movement!

Governance

The BCL Board of Directors meets on the first Sunday of each month. The Board consists of President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Membership Coordinator, House Representatives and At-Large Members from within the local community. We encourage all to participate in these meetings.

The Board has special rights and responsibilities in maintaining BCL’s continuity of existence. If the board believes an action taken by another governing body of BCL is unlawful or in grievous violation of the BCL mission, the Board may pause the implementation of the decision and require that the other governing body re-deliberate on prior decisions.

Unless policy otherwise specifies, any proposal must receive 70% of cast votes in order to pass.

Officers

• President
• Vice President
• Treasurer
• Secretary
• Membership Coordinator

Contact Us?

Please email us at <bclmembershipping@gmail.com> to get in touch!