Join our CFS Co-Living project in Algarve, Portugal!

[Erik N.]

Hey phoenixrising members,

are you living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME) and dreaming of a supportive community in a peaceful, nature-filled environment?

We’re creating a co-living space in the sunny Algarve region of Portugal, where people with CFS can share costs, support each other, and find companionship.

What we plan:

• A comfortable home shared with 2-4 like-minded people
• Personal assistant on-site to help with cooking, groceries, and household tasks
• Estimated living costs: 400-700€/month

If you can manage your own hygiene and basic needs, and are looking for a peaceful place to heal and connect, we’d love to have you join us!

CFS Co-Living Portugal Facebook Group

 

[mattie]

Excellent initiative!

 

[Wayne]

Hey @Erik N. -- Good luck with this all! Will you be able to accommodate any temporary guests?

 

[pamojja]

Great Idea. Could you provide more details?

Not everyone wants to join Facebook for that, especially wanting to drop out from non-supportive communities.

 

[Erik N.]

Thank you guys for the feedback. We (my friend and I) are currently looking for 2 to 4 like-minded people (preferably permanently in the beginning) to join us in this first step. Once we form our group, we will search for a suitable house to rent together and discuss further steps. This is a starter project, so we are not sure if there are people interested in. That's why we are searching for pioneers who want to build a space togehter.

 

[Erik N.]

Also, do you guys know some other groups/forums/persons to share or may have other ideas where we can spread the idea.

Our long-term vision is to create a network of supportive co-living spaces worldwide for people with CFS and similar conditions.

 

[pamojja]

Our long-term vision is to create a network of supportive co-living spaces worldwide for people with CFS and similar conditions.

Do you already live in Portugal?

There are already small communities developing in various countries, usually with tiny houses, yurts or side caravans. Since it's usually semi-legal to life in such non-permitted structures, there is little online advertisement found. Just an example from German place (sorry for it being in German only), I found on a forum:



Existing projects, also in Portugal are, for example, partly documented on this YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peace+love+and+om+tinyhouse

What these intriguing stories of independent living tell me, building just one such place takes commitment for quite some years. Think a whole network of communities is not possible, if one is committed to just one already.

See also this thread: https://forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/me-cfs-and-rv-living.90252/#post-2436446

 

[Erik N.]

We are currently traveling in Portugal with two camper vans and searching for a house/place to rent. For the moment our goal is to keep it small and rent a house (there are a lot in Portugal) in the first step. Further vision would be creating our own places (with tinyhouses etc), but we also know it would take a lot of time, effort and money to make that happen. We want to focus on bringing people together as main goal. The setting (in which kind of form we want to live in the future) is not so important for us at the moment.

 

[pamojja]

The setting (in which kind of form we want to live in the future) is not so important for us at the moment.

Understood - at this stage.

Shared living with some individuals not known from the outset isn't easy, really. It works well for some time, then individual tendencies always appear (ie. workhorses vs. wine affectionates). And therefore does deserve some premeditation to prevent community shattering conflicts.

Saw too many breaking up after some time. Which for these clients, as in this case ME/CFS patients, would bring even a less certain future, after investment. At worse homelessness. ME/CFS can quite variate for some over time. So what would be a plan B, if someone after some time couldn't take care of personal hygiene, for example, needing assistance?

Additional tinyhouses and caravans, to the shared facilities of a rented house, would allow for different individual inclinations already. And therefore relieves most of otherwise certain conflicts.

We are currently traveling in Portugal with two camper vans and searching for a house/place to rent.

Wouldn't it be opportune, to visit already existing tinyhouse communities there (which seem to be quite a few), to look for a renting place close by, for sharing already existing resources?

 

[Erik N.]

Thank you for bringing this concerns up. Yes, it's true that this project has it's risk. We try to aim for pioneers who are willing to come on their own responsibility. The worst thing that could happen is that people have to leave or groups end up. But that's one of the things everyone has to keep in mind when joining this experiment. That's the part of it. We are aiming for people who can be responsible for themselves, this shouldnt be a "rescue" space.

We already got hands on expirience with communities in Portugal and we got a little bit of a feeling how things can work or not. We expierenced both sides.

The idea with the tinyhouses and caravans is great. We also thought about it. It could make sure that everyone has it's own space and would prevent certain conflicts.

We're taking this idea up with the already existing tinyhouse communities. Thanks.

 

[pamojja]

Please, keep us updated. I actually think PhoenixRising forum is the best platform to promote this project, since it reaches most ME/CFS Europe-wide.

And count me as one interested in participating (without Facebook membership). As soon as my cycle-mobile tiny house is ready to move. However, that still will take me at least a further year, with my starkly decreased working ability of 4 hrs a day only.

By the way, why you became interested to start this project especially with ME/CFS sufferers? Do you have it yourself, or somebody close?

 

[Erik N.]

I keep you posted.

Sounds great and good luck with the tinyhouse.

Yes, have it by my own and want to take the initative as I know I'm not the only one who suffers.