Apply to Represent COO on Vienna Trip with House Our Neighbors
Members of the House Our Neighbors delegation on the 2024 social housing learning trip to Vienna.
Through our partnership with House Our Neighbors (HON), Communities of Opportunity has the opportunity to send one (1) person from our network to represent COO in this year’s House Our Neighbors social housing learning trip to Vienna. The group will tour and learn directly from social housing residents, staff, and researchers in one of the most established social housing regions in the world. COO’s Learning Community will cover the major travel costs for our representative. We will accept applications until 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 21.
In alignment with COO’s work to support community-led solutions for health, housing, economic opportunity, and community connections, the COO Learning Community has partnered with House Our Neighbors to support education, learning and capacity building opportunities for King County community members interested in social housing. Social Housing is housing outside of the speculative market, permanently affordable across all incomes, and publicly owned and governed.
For more information, please read the HON Frequently Asked Questions document. It includes the programming to expect, and a write-up of a previous trip here: 2024 Vienna Delegation — House Our Neighbors.
Timing of trip: The week of Sept 20th, 2026 (plus 1 mandatory pre-trip meeting).
We welcome anyone in the COO network who is actively working on housing policy to apply for this opportunity. Applicants must:
Live or work in King County, and be working in alignment with COO’s mission, vision, and Theory of Change.
Demonstrate a commitment to spaces of learning and capacity building that forward knowledge sharing, new & alternative models & infrastructure development, health, and strong cross-community/organizational connections, and building collective power.
Be committed to the four pillars of social housing -- public ownership, permanently affordable, free from market speculation, and available to all/cross-class communities.
Have a clear and demonstrated interest in social housing policy and models and be able to provide clarity on how participating in this trip will inform your work moving forward.
Be rooted in or working alongside frontline communities experiencing housing instability, homelessness, and/or other housing pressures related to affordability and ownership.
Have 4+ years of experience working directly on housing policy, or on housing systems.
Be actively a part of democratic and/or membership-based community or tenant ownership and governance group, system or program (e.g. community land trust, cooperative housing, tenants union, etc.). This includes early stages or active process and development. [note: we will ask for a reference].
Commit to and attend all trip activities and events, including a mandatory pre-trip group meeting
Commit to a post-trip presentation to COO staff and leadership within 60 days of return.
Commit to sharing the learnings and experience with the members/tenants/partners in your cooperative/tenant ownership & governance work and spaces.
The person selected is responsible for:
engaged participation in the trip, including attending all trip events and meetings (please note, the specific agenda is TBD, including the pre-trip meeting – if you cannot commit now without knowing these dates do not apply!)
coordinating with House our Neighbors for the travel and trip logistics
communication, coordination, and reporting back to COO staff and Governance Group on the learnings and experience and areas of connection to COO’s mission, vision and Theory of Change.
We will be accepting applications of interest through 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 21st.
COO will review applications and communicate back to all applicants by May 8th.
Questions? Please email the COO Learning Community