The co-op owners manual describes how people own, manage, and operate housing to meet needs locally and sustainably in the community, usually for 30-50% less than market rate housing. Members in a co-op meet weekly to govern their housing. They decide what must be done to keep the building running efficiently. With a work job system, they assign duties to each person to work 3 to 5 hours per week to make housing. Work jobs include cleaning, cooking, maintenance, finance, governance, and coordinating membership. Each person works on one job, pays monthly for housing and food, and comes to a weekly meeting. Members are usually not related to each other but could be. Often, it's a left-leaning culture, but the system could work with any group of people.

The cost of co-op housing is usually 30 to 50% less than market-rate housing with organic food. How can this be possible? In meetings, people use their combined mental power to manage the building most efficiently. The group benefits when people combine their skills to eliminate the landlord and reduce other costs by doing the work themselves.