In Chicago, it can feel impossible to find housing you can afford and actually want to live in. Some Chicagoans have found an answer in cooperative housing. 

“It’s a model that can lend itself sometimes to a lower cost of living and then also a sense of community,” said freelance writer Olivia Dimmer, who has been reporting on co-ops for the Chicago Sun-Times. In co-op living, residents own a share in a house or building, and often share household responsibilities.

In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Dimmer about the pros of co-op housing and what to consider before you commit.