Come join The Harbor!

We have two rooms opening up at The Harbor! Read below and reach out if this feels like a fit :)

About The Harbor:
We're a 7 year old community in Crown Heights with folks in our late 20's and early 30’s. We welcome people of all identities and orientations. Currently, being a communal house for us means a weekly house meeting, usually over dinner, to check-in, plan for the week, and communicate a range of needs. We share groceries and utilities and each person either shops (at the Park Slope Food Coop ;) ) or cooks for each other once a week. We are getting in the habit of hosting regular gatherings like monthly craft nights and seasonal clothing swaps. We have a local, former-housemate community (“extended Harbor”) who we hang out with from time-to-time. With some long-term housemates moving out (sad to see them go but happy for making moves in their lives!), it feels like The Harbor is in a transition phase. We are excited for this next iteration and the ways we can continue to cultivate community and collaboration.

About the space:
A fairly recently renovated, rented 5-bed/2.5-bath with a kitchen/dining room, living room, music area, washer/dryer, and backyard. None of the spaces are large, but we all fit in just fine. The entire unit is in an eight-apartment complex and our unit includes the basement and first floor. Three bedrooms, 1.5 baths, kitchen and dining room are on the first floor. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, living room, music area, and the wash/dryer are in the basement and the basement opens to the backyard. The kitchen has a dishwasher and each room has mini-splits for AC and heating. Accessibility-wise, the apartment has stairs to the front door and a spiral metal staircase between levels in the apartment. The monthly rent for the entire unit is $5,000. It's a 6 min walk to the Nostrand/President 2/3/4/5 trains, 14 min walk to the Prospect Park Q train and 12 min to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden & Prospect Park. Currently there are no pets.

The space, our relationship to the landlord:
The entire building is managed by a property management company. For the important things, they are attentive, for the not important things, we send regular emails to “project manage” them until everything is fixed. They are not great, but not terrible. We have a formal lease that new roommates can join (not required though), and rent has been raised slightly every few years since we’ve occupied the space..

The space, covid:
We are all vaxxed and we do not have house policies around testing or mask wearing. Most of us are working in-person in some capacity, attending events unmasked. We enjoy having the opportunity to host small gatherings in our home from time to time.

About the rooms & costs:
-We have one 8’ x 11’ room available starting January 1st, on the basement-level. The room is unfurnished, but pictures feature a furnished version. There is a basement window and closet.
-We also have one 7.5’ x 11’ room available starting February 1st, on the first floor. The room is unfurnished but pictures feature a furnished version. There are two windows and a closet.
-We welcome individuals or couples for each room. Rent would be between $850-$1000 for one room, given size and location on the first floor vs basement.
-Other additional costs are shared including groceries, gas, electricity, and internet, which fluctuate but average about $250/month. We have a phenomenal spreadsheet where we keep track of everything and “settle up” on the third week of each month. Security deposit is equal to your rent when you move in.

About you:
-You value community and have experience living communally in some way.
-You are down to dedicate time for weekly house meetings, a weekly chore of shopping or cooking, and dedicate energy to keeping the house alive and thriving.
-You don’t mind accommodating different dietary needs.
-You’re comfortable with speaking up when you need something.
-You’re comfortable compromising when you’re flexible.
-You know yourself and what makes you tick, like how you react in times of stress, conflict, and joy.
-You’d like to stay for at least a year, but hopefully longer :)

Does this sound like your kind of place?! If so, please send a message that responds to all of the following:

1) Describe past communal living experiences you’ve had and why you want to live communally again.
2) Describe a conflict you've had in a living situation/at work and how you resolved it.
3) What challenges or boundaries might you anticipate working through when living with four others?
4) What are some habits you’ve noticed about yourself in communal spaces?
5) What are three details about yourself that you particularly like?
6) What do you stay up late talking about?
7) Members in our house are vegetarian and omnivorous. Any food needs or dietary restrictions for you?

Looking forward to hearing from you!
-The Harbor

About This Lister

The people:
We have two room openings and the total unit would have five people. Our departing roommates are leaving to live with a partner and to try out living alone.The three staying are Madeline, Jesse, and Jessi. Madeline and Jesse are a couple renting two rooms. Each of us is social in our own ways, and in this new iteration of the Harbor, we’d like it to be a place not just for rest and relaxation but also an occasional gathering place. We value collaboration, equity, some flexibility, and a willingness to compromise, and we’re open to incorporating new roommates’ visions for the community.

Madeline (she/her), 29, has lived in the Harbor for 2.5 years. She’s in grad school to become a high school English teacher and works part-time as an organizer. She’s out and about a lot, but when home she enjoys chatting with roommates, watching movies together, and sharing meals once in a while. She also likes karaoke, dancing, socialism, gardening in the backyard (when the mosquitoes are tolerable), learning new skills, and making and sharing baked goods.

Jessi (she/her) is a bright and colorful, 30-year old, queer woman. She’s originally a mid-west Princess who moved to Brooklyn four years ago and loves it deeply. She is in-between jobs at the moment but is usually an executive assistant at mission driven organizations. She is incredibly passionate about trash/waste systems and people's relationship to stuff and runs workshops at local community spaces and sewing studios to teach visible mending. She hosts our house’s monthly craft night and is often talking about the evils of fast fashion, working on a new reuse project, or helping out at local clothing swaps. Jessi has a wonderful boyfriend who comes over from time to time and lives in the area. She’s a solid ambivert who has lived communally for most of her adult life and can’t imagine living another way.

Jesse (31, they/he) grew up in Brooklyn and is currently a second-year medical student in Flatbush. Besides school, they like to play and see music, watch movies, ride bikes, surf, and go to bars. They’re also involved in local organizing.