DOC 02 — THE VISION
A village, on purpose.
What we're building, how it sustains itself, and why the nonprofit owns everything.
§ 01 — WHY VILLAGES
Housing wasn't a market. It was infrastructure for a life.
For most of history, humans lived in groups small enough to know each other and large enough to share the work. Housing wasn't a market — it was infrastructure for a life. We're not recreating the past; we're borrowing its best arrangement and pairing it with modern building methods, renewable energy, and a legal structure that keeps it affordable permanently.
§ 02 — WHAT DAILY LIFE LOOKS LIKE
The village itself is the living room.
Homes are modest — a few hundred square feet, private, and yours to make your own — because the village itself is the living room. Days are organized around shared work: gardens and small livestock that feed the community, a communal kitchen and daily shared meals for those who want them, workshops, laundry, gathering spaces, and quiet.
Members work about 40 hours a month for the village — roughly ten hours a week — building, growing, cooking, fixing, teaching, or caring for others. The rest of your time is your own: your job, your family, your projects. Nobody surrenders their income, their beliefs, or their independence.
Quiet hours are real. Privacy is real. Doors lock.
§ 03 — HOW THE MONEY WORKS
Four streams. One ledger.
STREAM 01 · MEMBERS
Founding Member Contribution — $20,000, one-time.
Funds land, your home's construction, and shared infrastructure. It is not a purchase and not a tax-deductible donation — it's the cost of building the first village together. How this works →
STREAM 02 · MEMBERS
Monthly contribution — $500 or 40 hours of service.
Covers food systems, utilities, maintenance, and growth. Work more, pay less — down to zero.
STREAM 03 · SUPPORTERS
Donations.
Fund the mission itself: land, sponsored-resident homes, and expansion. Tax-deductible. Give →
STREAM 04 · THE VILLAGE
Village enterprises.
Farmers market, produce, crafts, and workshops sell to the wider community and feed revenue back into the nonprofit.
§ 04 — WHO OWNS WHAT
No one profits. That's the law, not a slogan.
The nonprofit owns all land and structures, permanently. No member, founder, or director profits from the Collective — that's not a slogan; it's what our 501(c)(3) status legally requires. What members get instead of equity: housing that can't inflate away, lifetime return rights to any available home in the CLC network, and a village they helped design. What donors get: a durable asset that keeps serving people long after any of us.
§ 05 — HOW WE'LL BUILD
Durable, cost-effective, suited to the land.
We're evaluating the most durable, cost-effective methods for the first homes — including container-based construction and AAC block, alongside emerging technologies — and will choose the approach best suited to the land we secure. Sustainability targets across every option: solar power, rainwater capture for agriculture, composting, and regenerative farming practices.
§ 06 — SERVING THE VULNERABLE · MISSION CORE
Housing for people who need it most isn't a side effect — it's the destination.
As member dues and donations grow, CLC will build homes for veterans, seniors, and young adults aging out of foster care, who will live in the village for $500 a month or community work alone, with no entry contribution. Founding members and donors are how those doors get built.
§ 07 — GO DEEPER · THE ARCHIVE
The full picture, in writing.
For those who want the full picture of our community philosophy, governance, and daily agreements:
Living Guide
Daily agreements, quiet hours, conflict mediation, and how village life is actually governed.
Founding Document
The origin, philosophy, and long-term commitments of the Collective.