Why community engagement and shared values matter to community life and governance

By Blake Burrell • July 22, 2026

For those of you who are new to the Nightingale Community, you may not know that we do not operate the community with a designated site host or shelter manager. Instead, the governance of our community is largely influenced by principles of sociocracy, and our organization’s Community Facilitator helps with compliance and decisions of consequence. This means the people who live at the Nightingale Community live in what we call a self-supporting community. Michael, a longstanding member of the Nightingale Community, shared “that the changes CSS brought were profoundly positive,” and “the result is that residents are now functioning at a higher level.”

Blake shares, “We meet every week to discuss program opportunities at CSS, make community announcements, and hold time for discussion about community needs. We keep our meetings honest, and we are up front about community issues." Blake attended seminars at the Lost Valley Education Center to support the program development, which helped him learn about facilitating non-violent communication and a self-supporting system.

He regularly puts to practice what those immersive sessions taught: "We have the goal of being respectful of each other and responsive to the concerns or ideas that are voiced by different community members. Some ideas that are proposed at community meetings come to a vote, and other project proposals may be resolved in committees. It is important to note that we are not aiming for perfection nor are we overly idealistic, we are just aiming to live with intention for each other's needs.” Needs of the community such as repairs, supply requests, or sanitation chores are delegated out to members, and we work together to keep the community well taken care of and harmonious. Blake, who leads facilitation efforts, shares, “We believe that people in our community are responsible and should be provided the dignity of ‘voice and choice.’”

Upon moving in, our community members at Nightingale are asked to sign a community agreement which outlines expectations for communal life. This includes expectations for “Community Engagement,” which means that each member of the community is responsible for participating in chore assignments, site stewardship, and neighborhood engagement. Everyone living in our community has opted in to making a positive contribution to the community and respecting each other. 

To honor this agreement, our community has worked hard at building an inclusive culture that accepts people for who they are. “At CSS, I believe that all of us are simply ‘people helping people’,” Blake says, “our biggest strength is our desire to foster belonging and show respect across our differences.” Members of the Nightingale Community have worked hard to build community, and have shared agreements to be open and honest with each other to ensure a sense of belonging and support. Candace shared, “People genuinely want to see each other succeed.”

As new members began moving into the community, CSS hosted a non-violent communication training series that helped the Nightingale Community establish a respectful way to address differences and resolve disputes. This series has since evolved into what is now the “Fight or Flight Club,” a group that routinely meets at the Access Center to talk about nonviolent communication as a means to dispute and conflict resolution. These principles have been adopted and are really driving the way community members speak to each other.

In the Nightingale Community Agreement, community members have committed to using principles of “Nonviolent Communication,” meaning all members agree that “community members should communicate in a nonviolent and respectful manner that honors each individual's social identity and any traumas they may have experienced.” Nightingale has a zero tolerance for violence and high standards for communication and conflict resolution in our community. Michael shared, “the threat of violence, theft, and verbal abuse all disappeared from camp,” and he likes the new sense of camaraderie and banter between the residents — sharing that “there is never a dull moment.”

This approach has made an environment where people can be authentic and open with one another. The goal is to foster an intentional community that respects differences and is trauma-informed. Zech shared, “It’s really cool to have a place to relax after dealing with the stresses of life.” Members of the Nightingale Community are working toward a positive, supportive environment that fosters belonging and acceptance for everyone.

Our goal is for everyone to have a place to belong in community with one another, and know they are not alone. “I am typically not a very social person, but one of the things I appreciate most about living at Nightingale is the quiet sense of community that surrounds me. During the difficult times in life when you sometimes feel completely alone, I’ll hear conversations nearby or walk past people, and it gently reminds me that I’m not truly isolated,” Ares shared. “That underlying sense of community here has become a real source of strength; it helps me persevere through the hard days, knowing there’s a supportive circle around me even if I keep to myself.” This community is full of people who are engaged and care for one another. 

Michael shared, “my favorite part of living at Nightingale is the pervasive, built-in serenity I feel there,” pondering, “Maybe it's an ancient thing, I don't know. Maybe the camp was built upon a crisscrossing of energy lines,” but finally landed on the idea that, “maybe it's the sum total of the good vibes put out by the residents themselves. I just know it's real, and I feel lucky when I experience it.”

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