The Committee on Cooperation (CoC) is made up of at least one representative from each of the four co-ops, who have attended our annual trainings in restorative conversations. The committee meets monthly to develop our restorative conversations skills, support each other, and brainstorm how to support other co-opers in conflict.
The committee is here to support you in your conflict.
If you have made an initial attempt at resolving a conflict, feel unable to move forward, or are in any way STUCK – it’s time to reach out to the committee.
The committee is committed to restorative approaches, as outlined in our mediation and member review handbook. We will provide support and resources to help you navigate your conflict.
You can reach out to the committee at anytime by emailing cooperation@bhccoops.org.
What happens when I email the CoC?
This email will be seen only by members of the committee at BHC staff. A member of the committee who does not live at your house will reach out to you to set up a phone call.
During that phone call, the CoC member will offer you support and help walk you through what actions you might take to try to resolve the situation.
The CoC will save your report in the resident’s file, so that we can track patterns or be aware of escalating conflicts.
If the committee receives three or more concerns of uncooperative behavior from different people about one resident, or if any concerns of uncooperative behavior are particularly egregious, the committee will call an emergency meeting to address the situation. They will request any additional information that other housemates or the responding member wish to provide.
The committee will vote to make a decision that may include:
- Request for mutual lease termination – A mutual lease termination can be offered to the responding member for any amount of time (from one day to 60 days). The responding member would have the option to voluntarily agree, or disagree, to this mutual lease termination.
- Member Review – This process involves a mediation between the responding member and a representative of the house. In this mediation, written agreements would be achieved. These written agreements would then be brought to the house to be further discussed and voted on.
- Agreement of Non-renewal – The resident in question would be asked to commit to not renewing their lease.
- Nonmutual lease termination – This option is reserved for only the most egregious, persistet displays of uncooperative behavior, or when all other attempts at mediation have been exhausted. A 30-day lease termination will be issued and an irrevocable mark will be made on the residents credit.
What if I’m in conflict with somebody on the CoC?
If you send an email to staff@bhccoops.org, or any of the staff individually, we can forward your report onto committee members excluding the person you are reporting about.
