Young families love cohousing for many reasons: lots of help with childcare, “built-in” friends of all ages, better safety and security knowing the whole community is watching out for your little one(s), a balanced diet (thanks to the community dinners), and the opportunity to learn from other residents.

Such promise is what led Brandon and his family to consider cohousing. But here’s what finally prompted them to join…

I knew why young parents signed up for cohousing. I read the books, watched the videos and talked about it endlessly with other cohousers.

It all made sense to me. But I needed to be sure.

So my kids, wife and I went for a visit to Canada’s very first cohousing development – Windsong in North Langley.

We had a chance to walk the property and talk with a few residents. We stopped by the common house, saw the kids playroom, the teens space and plenty of other amenities.

But what happened next really sealed the deal for me.

A kid came out from one of the houses. He walked right up to my two and asked if they wanted to play soccer. My son said sure and away they all ran.

Then another kid showed up, and another, and another. Running and screaming and having the time of their lives.

No planning. No “play dates”. Just spontaneous fun the way only kids can manage.

At the end of it, my wee ones didn’t want to leave. They knew we were thinking about cohousing and thought maybe they could come to live at Windsong until “ours” was done.

That’s when my wife and I knew it was the right move.

Because although we live in a nice house in a nice neighbourhood, we’ve never quite experienced something like this.

In normal life, everything is planned. There’s a schedule. And often, lots of driving around.

But this was different. It was spontaneous. And it was wonderful.

Yes, my wife and I are looking forward to the perks that come to parents involved in cohousing – especially the free childcare.

But it’s really the benefits to the kids that pulled us in – the opportunity to have a “built-in” set of friends, to learn from people with a very different set of skills and experience than Mommy or Daddy, and the opportunity to have a whole lot of fun in the process.

If you’re a young family and would like to know whether cohousing might be right for you, please get in touch with Michelle at michelle@compasscohousing.com
or with Doug at doug@compasscohousing.com. They’re part of our membership team and would be happy to tell you more about our project. They can also introduce you to Brandon if you’d like to talk to him directly.

LEARN MORE ABOUT COMPASS

Langley’s New Village Opportunity

Just enter your details below and we’ll send you out our Project Briefing. You’ll learn more about cohousing and who it’s for, meet some of our members, see detailed drawings and get a really good idea of the community we’re building here in Langley.