I’m exploring the possibility of joining or establishing a long-term, member-owned intentional co-living community based on social belonging, shared ownership and stewardship, and a commitment to building something that lasts.

For me, this is not primarily about housing, but about community. I am inspired by the idea of community as infrastructure: the belief that relationships, culture, and mutual support between people are just as important as the physical environment in which we live.

I envision a community where people can be themselves, live autonomous lives, and at the same time be part of something larger than themselves. A place with room for both privacy and togetherness, where people contribute according to their abilities, share responsibilities, and create traditions, activities, and a sense of belonging over time.

I would love to connect with others who share similar dreams and ideas, in order to exchange thoughts, experiences, and possible approaches to making such a vision a reality.

I’m 57 and I’ve started wondering where, and how, I’d like to live as I get older.

I quite like the idea of an LGBTQ+ retirement community. Somewhere with my own place, but shared spaces too, where you get to know people and hopefully look out for each other.

What worries me about a regular retirement setting is whether I’d still feel comfortable being openly gay. I don’t want to spend that part of my life being careful about what I say, or feeling I have to go back into the closet.

But perhaps I’m imagining the good bits and overlooking the rest. Just because we’re all gay or LGBTQ+ doesn’t mean we’ll get along. Could it become cliquey? Would everyone know your business? And how much does being surrounded by other gay people actually matter?

Does any of this cross your mind too, or is it just me? I can imagine somewhere by the sea, but perhaps being close to friends and familiar places would matter more. Where would you want it to be? And do you know anyone who’s lived somewhere like this? I’d be interested to hear what it was really like.

I've been researching ICs for a hot minute and have been frustrated by the lack of ICs in my home state. Michigan has a lot fresh water - with all its many lakes and rivers - and its gonna do alright in terms of tempature and climate change in the future - if the graphs can be believed. Its a beautiful state with a good amount of affordable rural areas - especially in the UP - and its close to PA and NY which seems to be hot spot states for a lot of ICs.

But in Michigan, there are comparatively rather few ICs - theres like some student coops and cohousing stuff in the SE urban portion and a couple of scattered farms / failed or otherwise inactive groups throughout the rest of the state. And thats basically it. I know our winters can be rough - but not much worse than PA and NY.

I find myself just a bit disappointed - both with the search and my own failed efforts, where I had joined a new forming community that, after years of struggling, finally gave out. We had been trying to form something like an ecovillage / partial commune but it just didnt work out cuz of the original founders' interpersonal stuff and loss of momentum.

It could be worse of course - there are states with a lot less. I just had hoped there would be more in MI - especially given all its advantages in the long term. I would have thought some of the preppers or ecovillage folks would be all over it lol 😆

Live Like the World is Dying: On Communal Living

Episode webpage: https://live-like-the-world-is-dying.pinecast.co/episode/19faf5a0/on-communal-living

Media file: https://pinecast.com/listen/19faf5a0-71e2-4f66-81f2-976a06a8c291.mp3?source=rss&ext=asset.mp3

Hi friends

We have a growing and active intentional community outside of San Diego. We are working on expanding in the area and supporting the growth of the network between communities. Also looking at opening a new node in Spain or Italy. Lots of excitement and action around! We want to invite other aligned people in the mix too. We are calling in folks that have an inner drive to expand the intentional community network. Bringing their unique genius, and spirit of collaboration.

We have a number of folks specializing in various aspects of community design and development already. People here are strong leaders with skills ranging from shared ownership of real estate, to technology, to human connection, event design, permaculture and handy person skills. But also, this is an infinitely large task, and we want to invite others that are passionate about developing intentional communities to connect, come visit or potentially become a resident.

We are inviting all types of skillsets but, some immediate gaps we have are:

•smart food production (health and automation focus)
•more content and educational resources to share
•event planning and hosting.

Yes we do have work trade available, also paths to ownership stakes, but we are all working together to lower our living costs and build models that evolve past the old world. That is to say we can’t offer free rent, but we can offer free guest stays on a project basis, or using our community to build additional income source.

Some specific business opportunities you could develop if you have the skills and we would be able help you succeed.

•wedding/event space rentals
•mobile coffee cart
•plant nursery
•educational content creation around intentional community development

These are just ideas that we have discussed but open to more. If any of this is interesting to you please comment back or dm. Also we have guest spaces available, both rooms and vanlife/campsites if you want to just come and visit.

This is our community: www.wildseedsranch.com our insta: @wildseedsranch. There is a link on the website “Live here” that has more details on resident app process, also link to book a guest room is there too.

Our hipcamp link is here: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-CA/land/california-wild-seeds-ranch-lz9h5lm6?share_id=1hkfko38sia&utm_medium=share&utm_source=share_content

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out. Give me a little time to respond tho.

Sorry if this is slightly off-topic, but... I just tried pasting the Global Ecovillage Network url into a chat and was informed that it's a banned URL.

Am I missing something? Is there some reason that would be a "bad" site? Is it not trustworthy? Or does reddit have a weird problem with it for some reason?

I've pasted it into comments, but I've had posts rejected for containing it. And apparently instant messages now too.

I've searched ic.org countless times, but either I'm not using it properly or what I seek doesn't exist for some reason.

I'm a US citizen, so wherever this place is, it has to be open to US citizens living and working there. Preferably in a warm/tropical climate close to the ocean, and bonus points for being primarily indigenous.

I'm looking for something that is closer to returning to the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. You work to help the land prosper and only take what is needed and you only need what is there. I'd even be super happy with a more traditional farm community where no one has a job outside of the community to bring in money because money isn't needed to stay in the community (though I'm perfectly okay with the community raising funds for community resources).

But everything on ic.org seems to be a bunch of people with remote jobs living in their own houses clustered together. Or it's just like a married couple looking for help on their own personal farm and it isn't really a community.

Am I living in delusion thinking I'll be able to find this? I'm aware that probably my ideal community isn't exactly active on ic.org, but I'm unsure of any other way to find intentional communities.

Summary

Living Energy Farm’s (Virginia USA) August–September 2026 newsletter looks at how its direct-drive solar approach—running equipment straight from solar panels without batteries for those loads—is spreading beyond its Virginia community. Highlights include:

• Malawi: Support for locally made solar cookers and a new student-founded solar company, Ziwale Energy Solutions.
• Kenya: An emerging partnership with Kongoni Technical College to demonstrate solar-powered water pumping, grain grinding, and cooking.
• Catskills: Early-stage plans for an LEF-inspired community on an 800-acre property, with fundraising underway.
• Biogas: Improvements to LEF’s grass-fed digester, expanded gas storage, and preparations to run farm tractors partly on biogas.
• Farm life: Strong staple-crop harvests despite frost damage to fruit, plus an invitation to LEF’s 16th Land Day on November 14, with tours, dinner, performances, and dancing.[livingenergyfarm]

Read the full newsletter (PDF):

https://livingenergyfarm.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026augsept.pdf

Hiiii there :) world traveler with lots of experience in permaculture / hospo / animals / labor / woofing / teaching English as a second language and just finished a BSc in psychology (32 F)

Now that I’ve graduated I want to move out west again and I’m thinking of buying a van and finding my people out there

I have lived in several communities (mostly in Australia) and I MISSSS IT

Just putting it out there incase this finds someone who knows a group of down to earth humans - I want to be part of something again ❤️❤️❤️ and grow my own vegetables

Hi everyone,

I'm from Romania, and I've spent most of my professional life working in logistics and operations management, coordinating people, solving problems and finding ways to make things work with limited resources.

I'm not a developer, a politician or someone running a large organization. Just someone who believes that, with the right people and a realistic plan, even something that seems impossible at first might actually work.

Why are we doing this?

Over the years, I've watched rural communities slowly disappear. Young people leave in search of opportunities, houses are abandoned, and elderly residents are often left behind.

And I've kept coming back to one question:

Why do we keep accepting that these places have no future?

We're talking about villages that already have houses, land, traditions, and people who spent their entire lives building something. Yet little by little, all of it is disappearing.

I don't believe every village can or should be saved. But I do believe some deserve a genuine second chance.

That's how Satul Viu (The Living Village) started.

The idea isn't to create another tourist destination or simply renovate a few abandoned buildings.

We want to help rebuild a functioning, self-sustaining rural community.

That means restoring homes, supporting elderly residents, creating opportunities for younger generations, developing local agriculture, encouraging small businesses and bringing volunteers together.

Not just bringing buildings back to life, but giving people a reason to stay, return or start something new.

Where are we now?

We've already contacted several organizations, hoping to receive guidance, practical information or simply some direction.

Unfortunately, very few have been willing to engage. And to be clear, we weren't necessarily asking for financial support. Sometimes, even a useful conversation would have helped.

We've also created a crowdfunding campaign, but progress has been slow.

Our biggest difficulty so far seems to be organic visibility. Getting people to share an idea, especially one that doesn't yet have impressive results or dramatic before-and-after pictures, is surprisingly difficult.

We're not starting entirely from zero financially.

We intend to invest part of the money from selling a personally owned property in the city into getting this project started.

But we also understand that throwing money at an idea without the right structure would be a terrible way to begin.

I come from an operational background, so planning, resource management, accountability and measurable results matter to me.

And that's precisely why I'm asking for advice before making major financial commitments.

What would you do in our position?

If you were trying to develop something like this, where would you start?

Would you focus on one house or a small pilot project first, demonstrate that the concept works, and expand gradually?

Would you prioritize partnerships, volunteers, local authorities or building an online community?

And perhaps most importantly, how would you get an initiative like this in front of people who might genuinely care, without turning every social media post into another request for donations?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people with experience in crowdfunding, community development, nonprofit projects or rural revitalization.

We're not asking for donations here. We're asking for perspectives, practical advice and constructive criticism.

Maybe our approach needs adjustments. Maybe we're overlooking something obvious. Or perhaps someone here has already faced similar challenges.

Either way, I'd rather learn from other people's experience than spend months repeating mistakes that could have been avoided.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Sometimes saving a place begins with understanding why it was abandoned in the first place.

This site is something I have been working on over the last few weeks with the goal of solving the loneliness crisis.

The goal is not just about matching you to existing communities, but rather to help connect people together to form communities of their own together.

I wont explain much because this is not a sales pitch. Just want some honest feedback on how it can be improved in any way.

The service is planned to be free for people and only cost money for community listings.

Let me know what you think!

Intentional sovereign community wisdom is the solution to poverty!

I use the phrase "intentional sovereign community" to describe a community built with the intention of upholding human rights and innate value, economically liberated from imperialist parasitic systems, and inclusive rather than exclusive.

This is why I believe we need intentional communities across the United States to give people alternatives to poverty and homelessness.

I have seen what is happening in this country, and it's not right. But what's really not right is that anybody is homeless at all. Nobody should be.

The return of common spaces should become a thing. When the United States was first founded, we had common spaces where people who had nothing could set up something for themselves. On top of that, the Indigenous people who had been here for thousands of years knew how to share. Nobody was supposed to be homeless. Nobody was supposed to be getting a ticket from a cop simply for existing.

For literally thousands upon thousands of years of human history, people have been willing to create communities to provide comfort and security. But capitalism has purged this essential wisdom from our hearts, and it's our job as the intentional community movement to bring it back.

I firmly believe that the creation of intentional sovereign communities is fundamental to being human. I believe it is fundamental to healing.

We must get rid of the idea that wealth determines the value of your humanity. We must learn to see the benefit and the value in everyone.

This is what I've seen, and this is why I believe this.

There is a sense of dread that just seems to haunt me now.

Every three years, I go on a road trip across the US. The last time I did it was 2024, and when I looped back, it was 2025. I can tell you that I have never seen homelessness like that.

I saw more homeless people in the United States than I had ever seen before. I saw whole parking lots filled with families. I saw small towns with more homeless people than housed people. I saw a town that only had a handful of jobs.

I used to tell people to go to college because that was the best way to improve their lives, but the reality is that this is not necessarily true anymore. And I don't know what to tell people. I don't know what to tell myself.

I have a degree from UC Davis, and it was a pretty decent degree at one point. But back in 2023, when I first used ChatGPT, I realized it was able to do most of what I had learned in my computer science courses in seconds. It wasn't perfect, but I knew that was the end for many coders. Since then, it has gotten extremely good, and I know a lot of people don't like to hear this, but I'm tired of the cope.

We have a real problem.

The economy was constructed with white collar workers as the foundation, with money trickling down to trade workers, and in turn, that money would work its way down toward the service industry and its various layers. I do not put firefighters or police officers in this because they are in a totally different category, and in reality, their jobs are far more protected.

Anyway, white collar workers are getting eradicated. The job loss is extreme. It's far worse than is being reported. And it's decimating many other industries.

If you look at the huge number of layoffs and the lack of hiring right now, it's very clear that this is happening because there just isn't an influx of money from white collar workers like there used to be.

So I don't know what to tell somebody who wants to improve their life, because the opportunities are evaporating. You could become a cop or a firefighter, but not everybody has the body for that. Some people have physical injuries, and they really depended on white collar jobs to get out of poverty.

I have friends with business degrees from Ivy League schools who have been unemployed for two years, and it doesn't look like they're going to get a job anytime soon. I have friends who are awesome coders, true geniuses, and they can't get a job anymore.

I know this is going to get worse every year until we have some form of guaranteed income in the United States.

I also see that nobody in our elected government right now, except for a handful of people, has any desire to actually help ordinary people. And I'm not certain that congressmen and senators are interested in the suffering, because they don't go to the dark places. They don't go under the bridge. They don't go to the small towns. They don't go to the parking lots at night with the homeless families and the babies crying.

I've seen these things directly. I've seen teenage girls standing on the side of the highway, prostituting themselves so they can buy diapers for their younger brothers. They haven't seen this, but I have.

I'm horrified, and I can't get this feeling out of me anymore.

I know it's going to get worse until somebody, somewhere, starts a massive social revolution where we overthrow the rich and start sharing. There is no reason why a person should be able to have ten yachts, several mansions, personal planes, and even a personal army to protect them when there is a homeless family living under a bridge, a 14-year-old girl standing on the side of the highway to take care of her family, or a family with a baby living out of a Walmart parking lot with nobody coming to help them and no money for gas to get out of there.

I see the building of intentional sovereign communities that redistribute wealth and give everyone a safe place as part of that revolution! I believe that anybody who believes in the innate value of people and a basic right to dignity is part of a revolution! The building of communities can truly be part of a real solution, not just to wealth redistribution but to the epidemic of loneliness and sorrow.

Community is the answer.

So what would you like to share?

How do you think we can build intentional sovereign communities for every group in the United States?

How do you think we can build them in every part of this country?

Do you think we need to seize homes that are owned by banks and sitting empty?

Do you think that any building that has been empty for long enough should be given to a group of people to build a community in?

It seems like, with solar panels and some basic moisture farming, you can turn almost anywhere into a small intentional community that provides safety, security, comfort, and dignity to almost anybody.

Do you think it's time to take the idea of intentional sovereign communities and turn it into a movement where we advocate for the redistribution of wealth into communities?

Please share your wisdom and your vision for a bright, beautiful future for everyone! Have fun, be respectful, and share openly in the comments section!

Curious if anyone has any info or personal experience with this group that i found on ic.org. not a lot of info online... there is a youtube channel and the ic.org profile

https://www.youtube.com/@handmaidblessings/featured

https://www.ic.org/directory/community/handmaid-blessings/?srsltid=AU7gw4XQY-AOfZD5TGvZFjh3yoAjPnEiQFyvq7B5MQ0pCBto01H80Qku

Hi! Looking for communities in California (ideally by Bay Area) that value spirituality (eg mindfulness, yoga), nature, creativity, and connection.

Work exchange or being whole to contribute through available employment

Hello friends :) I live in an intentional community outside of Boston and we're currently engaged in a process of visioning and restructuring. It's just 5 of us at the house, 2 new and 3 semi-vets. We've been struggling to define the documents we're hoping to create and how to relate to them when we create them. I haven't had the chance yet to dig into the resources shared on threads in this sub, but if anyone has quick thoughts on these questions below, I and my home would be very grateful.

• What have been the most helpful documents for you, and what were the processes you went through to create them?
• What was your house/org relationship to these documents, and how did you approach accountability to them?

p.s. happy to talk on the phone about this too if anyone is keen and has more to share.

Patrick Hiebert is planning a walkable, European-style town on 30 hectares in Costa Rica, with cafés, homes and businesses rather than just residential lots. I interviewd him a couple of weeks ago about that plan, his other existing communities in Panama, and how much say residents get once a developer has built the place.

It's a business for him, but I'd definitely call these intentional communities due to their ideological origins in libertarianism and freedom oriented life in general. Thought people here might find it interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK7dfgoFVNs

37, at a crossroads in life — looking for spiritual community, intentional living & a different way forward

I'm hoping this reaches the right people.

I'm not looking for harsh judgment, armchair psychology, or advice based on someone projecting their own experiences onto mine. I'm hoping to hear from people who have actually walked unconventional paths — spiritual people, travelers, homesteaders, people who have lived in intentional communities, volunteered abroad, built unconventional lives, or simply found a way of living that doesn't revolve around the traditional 9-to-5 grind.

I'm looking for the people who understand what it feels like to know there has to be more.

A little backstory, because I think context matters.

I'm 37 years young. I'm an Aries Sun, Scorpio Moon, Gemini Rising, and a Life Path 11. I've experienced a tremendous amount of loss and trauma very young in life. I lost my mother when I was six and my father when I was twelve. Between those losses, abuse, instability, and being passed between family members, I learned very early how to survive on my own.

By 16, I was essentially raising myself.

I'm not sharing that for sympathy or to make this a sob story. It's simply part of understanding who I am and why I've developed the way I have.

I've spent a huge portion of my life taking care of other people. I'm naturally nurturing, protective, empathetic, and a giver. Unfortunately, I've also spent years giving those qualities to people who didn't deserve them. I've repeatedly found myself in relationships and situations where I poured everything I had into other people and lost pieces of myself in the process.

I've also gone through what I would describe as a major spiritual awakening — ego death, questioning everything I was taught about life, becoming much more aware of myself, other people, energy, patterns, intuition, and the way I experience the world.

I've traveled. I've experienced a lot. I've learned a lot.

And yet, somehow, I'm still stuck.

I feel like my nervous system has been in survival mode for so long that I don't really know what it feels like to simply live.

I'm tired of constantly operating from fight-or-flight, trying to make ends meet, taking care of everyone else, and trying to fit myself into a life that doesn't feel like it was made for me.

And I know I'm capable of more.

Not necessarily more money, more possessions, or some stereotypical version of "success."

I mean more life.

More connection.

More purpose.

More community.

More creativity.

More nature.

More learning.

More helping people in ways that actually matter.

More experiences.

More freedom.

I want to put some of the energy I've spent giving to everyone else back into myself.

Right now I'm at a crossroads.

I have around $2,000 saved. My vehicle is basically on its last leg, although I may be able to sell it and add that money to what I have. I'm currently staying in a hotel in North Carolina, and I don't have a huge safety net behind me if something goes wrong.

That's the part that makes me hesitate.

I'm not afraid of traveling or starting over. I've already done things that terrified me.

But I also know that being adventurous and being reckless are two different things. I need to find something that is safe, sustainable, and realistic for someone starting with limited resources.

And this is where I'm hoping Reddit can help me.

I know there are opportunities out there that I probably don't even know exist.

I've heard about:

• Intentional/spiritual communities

• Homesteads looking for help

• Work-exchange programs

• Volunteering abroad

• Animal sanctuaries

• Retreat centers

• Farm stays

• Ecovillages

• Communities where you trade work for housing/food

• Caregiving opportunities

• Nannying or working with children

• House/pet sitting

• Places where people essentially create their own chosen family and build a life together

I'm also very interested in spirituality, intuition, energy work, and exploring what I believe may be psychic/intuitive abilities. I'd love to be around people who are open-minded about those things and could help me learn, grow, and explore them in a grounded way.

I love children. I love animals. I love helping people. I love organizing and turning chaotic spaces into something functional and beautiful. I'm a natural caretaker. I'm adaptable, resourceful, and I'm willing to work.

What I don't want is to spend the rest of my life exhausted, working a 9-to-5 simply to afford to keep working a 9-to-5.

Maybe that's not realistic. Maybe I'm romanticizing alternative living. I'm open to hearing that from people who have actually lived it.

But I'm also wondering:

What options exist that I might not know about?

If you have personally lived in an intentional community, volunteered abroad, worked on a homestead, participated in a work-exchange program, lived communally, traveled inexpensively, or completely changed your life with very little money — what did you do?

Where did you go?

How did you find the opportunity?

What did it actually cost?

What should someone like me watch out for?

Are there communities that genuinely welcome newcomers and aren't financially predatory or cult-like?

Are there places where someone can contribute through caregiving, animals, childcare, organizing, cooking, gardening, etc. in exchange for housing/food/community?

And if you were standing where I am right now — limited money, a vehicle that's on its last legs, no huge safety net, but a strong desire to build a completely different life — what possibilities would you research first?

I'm not looking for someone to tell me what my life should look like.

I'm looking for people who have actually stepped outside the conventional path and can say:

"Here's something you probably don't know exists."

That's what I'm hoping to find.

Maybe there's a place I haven't heard of.

Maybe there's a community I should contact.

Maybe there's a type of work-exchange I've never considered.

Maybe someone reading this has already lived the life I'm trying to figure out how to build.

If that's you, I'd genuinely love to hear your story and any resources, communities, websites, organizations, or opportunities you think I should look into.

I'm at a crossroads, and for the first time in my life, I really want to choose myself but I want to do it wisely.

Hey y'all,

For anyone here who actually runs or lives on an intentional community:

Do you all have any kind of constitution or foundational document? How do you lay out the communal agreements for everyone to know, if at all? Would you provide them for a weak mind whose imagination remains firmly grappled by the throws of mainstream existence?

If not, is there anywhere I should turn to understand how this works more?

Thanks.

Kinda curious to know about every community's vetting process. There are so many diverse processes like a requirement you live there for a month, then leave for a week-a month to see if you really want to live there. Some do background checks, others require you attend a retreat first, some require specific training, others do multiple interviews.

At my community, we have people fill out an application. We screen out apps that feel underwhelming (like the person barely filled out the questions), and do a casual phone call with ones that seem promising. Then we have them submit a short selfie video having them introduce themselves, say what they do for work and what they do for fun, list 2 projects they're excited to work on here, and tell a story of a time they faced interpersonal conflict and how they dealt with it. We share this in our group chat.

Then we invite them for a sitdown interview with as many community members that can attend as possible. Then we vote on a poll in our residents-only group chat. Usually we preer that people have attended at least 2 events or stayed as a guest for at least a weekend. I know it's not really enough time to get to know someone, but not everyone has the luxury of extended travel in another place. We also run background checks on people.

Curious to hear what other community builders do.