The Higher Ground Abodes 2024 Summer Cooperative Camp served as the gateway to our larger home development project, setting the stage for young people, most of home are aging out of foster care to shape a housing model that truly meets their needs. Over ten weeks, participants delved into the essentials of cooperative living, from managing shared responsibilities to creating personal and communal financial plans, empowering them to think about what "home" really means to them.

Through hands-on activities and group discussions, the youth developed a vision for a home that balances shared living with respect for personal space—mindful of past experiences where they rarely had anything to call their own. They imagined a home with just enough residents to create community, without crowding, so that each person could have a private, personal area while still participating in the shared responsibilities of cooperative life

Their ideas and insights are now guiding us as we bring this vision to life with the purchase of a duplex in Detroit's historic Conant Garden neighborhood. This area, rich in history and community pride, provides the ideal foundation for a cooperative home. The duplex offers a balance of privacy and shared space, with individual rooms and shared common areas, allowing each resident their own space while also fostering community bonds.

By putting the youth's vision at the center, our home development project in Conant Garden is creating a supportive, respectful environment—a place young people can truly call home as they build stability and independence e in a place they can truly call home!

Higher Ground Abodes

Detroit, Michigan

501(c)(3) | EIN: 82 4987648

(313) 444 2024

info@highergroundabodes.org