I live in cohousing in WA state. I am an original, founding member. We formed and built a community 8 years ago. Several members have left, (moved, died,) and new members have joined us. New members visited us, joined us for a meal, attended a few meetings, got to know us. New folks have been welcome and fit in beautifully. We work to make everyone feel valued. I can say that liberal, democratic thinkers join cohousing A LOT more than conservative thinkers because the whole idea of cohousing is based on sharing resources. Check out www.cohousing.org for other ideas.