House Meetings

What is a house meeting?

Residents and their Facilitative Housing Worker get together at least once a month to discuss house issues and make group decisions. House meetings keep communication open between the residents and CRC Self Help by providing an opportunity to talk about house repairs, the house fund, chores, rules, as well as interpersonal conflicts, new resident selection or other community development issues. It is also a chance for residents to check in and catch up with one another.

In addition to the monthly meeting with the housing worker, residents are encouraged to have house meetings, with or without their housing worker, as often as they feel is beneficial or necessary. If they would like their housing worker to attend, they can make this request.

Why are house meetings important?

Lifestyles of residents often vary which can make it difficult for residents to get together and keep one another informed. Communication habits also vary, sometimes making it difficult to know how to talk to one another if an issue begins to arise. In shared living situations, open communication is an essential part of building positive relationships between housemates. Meeting regularly to discuss what residents feel is working and what isn’t working creates a time and space for the positive to be acknowledged and to identify issues before they become a problem. Residents often use this time together to give each other support, help one another with problem solving and celebrate each other’s successes. Regular house meetings are one way to nurture a peaceful home environment that is well looked after.

Attendance at house meetings is part of the Tenancy Agreement with CRC Self Help. It is important that all residents attend a house meeting at least once per month to give their input into how the house functions. If a resident does not attend, decisions may be made in their absence that they may not agree with, but will be expected to respect and carry out.

For more information on the group decision-making process, please refer to your Resident Handbook or contact your Facilitative Housing Worker. Contact Us