Become a resident
WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING NEW RESIDENTS OR VOLUNTEER GUESTS AT THIS TIME
Please return to our home page for more information.
Our space is open to like-minded collaborators who want to join us for projects or as residents. We are looking for new est8mates (pronounced “estate-mates”; this is our term for roommates or flatmates who share an estate).
THE PATH TO BECOMING A Resident
Introduce yourself, get involved, get informed, and be proactive about making yourself a part of the community. Here are ten things you can do.
1) Join our Discord and introduce yourself in our #introductions channel.
2) Reach out about volunteering. In your introduction, post about the types of contributions you'd like to make, and when you're available to come by and collaborate with us. This is the best way for us to get to know each other, to see if you like working with us, and to learn about what our growing community needs. Part of our culture is bonding over recreational logistics.
3) Come visit! Reach out if you're from out of town and want to schedule overnight accommodations as a volunteer guest to get to know us.
4) Come to an upcoming event and introduce yourself IRL.
5) Meet us remotely, if you must. If you can't make it here in person, you can reach out about setting up a time to meet by video chat.
6) Make a friend who's part of our extended community and see if they're excited about living and collaborating with you, or if they can sponsor your community onboarding. Decisions about adding new members to the community are made by all the members equally. Not sure how to talk to people? We have a Guide To Getting To Know The Residents below.
7) Plan a project with someone here. As a community centered around creative collaboration, we give extra weight to candidates who are planning on creating together with people here.
8) Read everything you can. Read this page, read the Resident Life page, read our Discord, and so on.
9) Fill our our application form! When you're ready to apply, scroll down to get started!
10) Proactively and independently follow up on the progress of the application. After you apply, the ball is in your court. Be persistent about following up. Come get involved and get to know us.
Since we are a community of volunteers, if you don't hear back from us, don't take it as rejection, just ping us again, we were probably just distracted with cool projects away from our computers. Try us on Discord first, but if you have a hard time getting our attention there, you could also try emailing ideas@est8ofmind.com.
MONTHLY RENT & FEES
If you are applying as a resident, please note the current typical monthly cost is $1050, and we require first and last month's rent before move in. The cost breakdown is on our Resident Life page. If that arrangement doesn't work for you, instead consider visiting as a Volunteer Guest.
APPLY NOW
If you are feeling at all intimidated about applying to live with or visit us, just dooo it! You're probably awesome. Don't let imposter syndrome stand in the way of your future! :)
In order to really make your application shine:
Finish the application to the best of your ability
Talk about your abilities and skills that might contribute to the success of the community
Be financially prepared to pay $950 monthly rent for the duration of the stay, with first-and-last due before move in
Choose someone you've lived with before as a reference (e.g. former roommate, domestic partner, sibling, etc.)
Be as honest as you can about your own skills, experiences, and limitations which may impact a communal residential situation. We understand people have learned and grown from their mistakes and know themselves better as a result.
Be prepared to introduce pets / children to other residents, pets, and children (if applicable)
Ask lots of questions to fully explore potentially staying at the residence
Warning!
After you hit 'submit', you may have to scroll back up to fill out a captcha. If your application has been successfully submitted, you will receive a confirmation email. You may wish to save or write your answers in an external document, in case there is an error or you do not have time to complete the application, your writing will not be lost.
Warning!
After you hit 'submit', you may have to scroll back up to fill out a captcha. If your application has been successfully submitted, you will receive a confirmation email. You may wish to save or write your answers in an external document, in case there is an error or you do not have time to complete the application, your writing will not be lost.
EQUAL-OPPORTUNITY HOUSING STATEMENT
We do not tolerate bigotry, racism, racial prejudice, discrimination, or intolerance (except of the intolerant).
Black Lives Matter. Trans rights are human rights.
We acknowledge that our community operates on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Nipmuc People. We pay respect to those Indigenous Peoples who stewarded this land and lost their lives in the colonization of this land and recognize that these Indigenous tribes are still today facing violations of sovereignty, territory, and water.
We acknowledge the existence of racism in housing opportunities and commit to learning from and correcting our mistakes.
We recognize the systemic injustice that exists in what are considered "standard" rental applications, and we have made the deliberate choice to eradicate as many of those as possible in our own applications:
We do not request credit checks, bank statements, or proof of income
We do not request police background checks
We do not request employer references or past landlord references
We are tired of the gatekeeping that occurs by asking for these things before giving people housing. We believe it is possible to lead by example, by demonstrating a healthy residential community that does not require any of these things.
Instead...
We ask prospective residents to self-report areas in which they might need extra support, so that we know how we could best show up for them as they transition into life here
We ask to speak to one person the candidate has lived with in the past, as a character reference, and to better understand how we can support this person as a roommate
GUIDE TO GETTING TO KNOW THE RESIDENTS HERE
What are some good things to say to residents when you're meeting them?
These are just some ideas; you are not expected to do all or any of them. Perhaps these will inspire other ideas.
Let us know you're considering moving in, and your timeline.
Ask us what sort of arts we pursue, what creative projects we’re working on right now, what events we might be involved in running, and what sort of collaborators we wish we had around.
Tell us about your creative accomplishments, works in progress, or ambitions. See if anyone wants to help in any of the areas that you want support in.
Ask us about the BAD parts about living here. Get a critical perspective.
Ask us if you can help cook a communal meal using our kitchen & ingredients. Team up with someone here to feed people.
Ask us if we can show you things that interest you that might affect your decision to live here. Maybe you want to see the bedrooms, laundry rooms, workshop spaces, tool rooms, walking trail, kitchens, neighborhood, etc.
Ask if you can help someone with something they're working on, or ask to volunteer for the community as a whole.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE NEW RESIDENTS?
After a potential resident applies, and visits or otherwise meets with existing residents, they have an opportunity to be accepted as a new member of the community. Existing residents based on their personal perceptions of your application and their experience of you. There is no sole decision maker, everyone's voice is equal.
Residents could vote that they:
are enthusiastic about you living here and that you made plans with them to collaborate on specific creative pursuits.
are comfortable with you living here.
did not get to know you well enough to feel comfortable or enthusiastic about you living here.
got to know you well enough to know they don’t feel comfortable with you living here, or that they suspect you would be harmful to the community.
The best way to get votes is to show up, take the time to meet people, and be enthusiastic about getting involved, lending a hand, and hanging out. These actions demonstrate that you could potentially fit in here and that you still want to live here after you've taken the time to see what it's like.
How soon we initiate a vote is up to you. Typically this happens after a potential resident visits with existing residents and explicitly requests that we initiate a vote. When you or we feel like you've met enough people, we'll make it happen. After that, a decision will be made within 72 hours.