Realest State
Strengthening Coordinating Conditions with Capacity & Compensation for Resident Leaders
Introducing the Transformation
Realest State begins with how we see ourselves, our neighbors and our shared communities.
It begins with how we see ourselves — as people who live with the consequences of housing decisions every day.
It includes how we see organizations — as institutions meant to respond to lived conditions.
And it includes how we see property — as something that exists within lived human experience.
When we see differently, how we decide begins to change.
Realest State transforms Real Estate
Realest State
People centered
Conditions signal value
Lived experience defines authority
Residents as authorities
Decisions follow readiness
Participation as legitimacy
Real Estate
Property centered
Price signals value
Ownership defines authority
Residents as occupants
Decisions move on market timelines
Participation as input
Common Sense Rhythm Checks
Rhythm Checks are a simple and universal practice for shared governance.
Common Sense is practiced through Rhythm Checks — four questions asked in order.
1) Is it healthy to be here?
Health reflects dignity, safety, and steadiness.
2) Can this continue?
Sustainability reflects whether effort can be carried over time.
3) Are we together?
Connection reflects trust, shared presence, and voluntary return.
4) Do we know how this works?
Clarity reflects visible roles, agreements, and decision pathways.
Resident Leaders are Stewards
Hidden work has always been a part of governance.
We recognize:
Resident Leaders coordinate repairs.
Resident Leaders translate between neighbors and management.
Resident Leaders calm conflict before it escalates.
Resident Leaders track information and follow up.
Resident Leaders organize meetings and hold shared memory.
Resident Leaders notice when something is not sustainable.
Resident Leaders who keep participation possible.
This is Stewardship.
Much of this work has lived in quiet, everyday practice.
It has been carried through memory, care, and follow-through.
Stewardship makes this work visible.
Stewardship Development Goals
This year, we’re activating resident-centered governance infrastructure:
1. We are building Resident Leaders across 50 buildings in all 8 wards of Washington, DC — so Resident Leaders build stewardship where they live.
2. We’re compensating 500+ resident leaders for documented stewardship — so that invisible work becomes visible, shared, and sustainable.
3. We’re grounding governance in Resident Reality Reviews — so that decisions reflect lived conditions.
4. We’re practicing Seasonal Rhythm (90-day) with built-in return — so stewardship can rotate and renew.
5. We’re sharing clear participation summaries — so resources follow real involvement.
Building Resources for Resident Leaders
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My Realest State
CARE-Related Building Resources
1) Is it healthy to be here?
Health & Housing · Strengthening Lived Conditions
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HOUR Academy
PACING-Related Building Resources
2) Can this continue?
Education · Co-Learning · Stewardship Development
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OUR DC
TRUST-Related Building Resources
3) Are we together?
DC Society · Public Life · Shared Belonging
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HOUR Coops
ALIGNMENT-Related Building Resources
4) Do we know how this works?
Governance · Durable Institutions · Shared Ownership
HOUR Sessions support Resident Rhythms
These sessions help residents, households, buildings, and institutions move from lived experience into shared agreements and durable coordination with care and clarity.
There are five types and each one has a distinct purpose.
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Resident Reality Reviews
These sessions create dedicated space and time to surface what is real.
Using the 360 Wellness Wheel, participants reflect on lived conditions across domains such as:
Physical
Emotional
Financial
Work
Learning
Social
Surroundings
Spiritual
The purpose of Resident Reality Reviews is to recognize patterns and connections before structure is imposed. It’s not to decide or fix anything first.
“Through HOUR Sessions, health and safety stopped feeling abstract. It became something we checked, not something we assumed.” Resident Leader Member – Ward 5
Resident Reality Reviews may be individual, household-level, neighbor-level, or organizational.
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Sensing Coordinating Conditions
Recognizing Rhythm Sessions move from lived conditions into shared sensing.
Participants move through four stabilizing questions:
Is it healthy to be here?
Can this continue?
Are we together?
Do we know how this works
Recognition Sessions clarifies coordination strain without forcing premature agreement.
“During HOUR Session, practicing Recognition exposed burnout before it became a crisis. It created space for us to pause instead of push.” Resident Leader - Ward 5
It helps participants understand whether Care, Pacing, Social or Structural conditions require attention.
Recognizing Sessions may stand alone or be included within other sessions.
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Translating Strain into Structured Options
When coordination strain becomes clear, Rhythm Recommendations help translate that clarity into practical options.
Using the Resolution Library, participants review structured pathways related to:
Emotional safety and care
Trust and neighbor connection
Communication systems
Meeting rhythms
Documentation practices
Decision pathways
Leadership roles
Repair tracking
Language access
Shared priorities
Rhythm Recommendations clarify what could be activated or formalized.
“During HOUR Session, I realized I was participating out of obligation, not belonging. Naming that changed how I showed up and how I welcomed others.” Resident Association Member – Ward 8
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About Realest State
To make this durable, we built infrastructure.
We operate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Washington, DC.
Our role is to help activate and maintain steady resident-led structures that hold stewardship over time.
We operate with the following commitments:
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Resident authority is carried through documented stewardship roles rather than traditional nonprofit staffing structures.
Governance responsibility is distributed, time-held, and recorded.
Authority is practiced, supported, and sustained by stewards. -
80% of funding supports direct stewardship labor.
20% sustains shared infrastructure, coordination, and compliance.
This ensures that capital follows documented governance work rather than overhead expansion.
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All resolutions include a clear start point, defined holding period, and scheduled return.
Authority is not permanent.
It is held, reviewed, renewed, or released. -
Stipend activation follows stewardship. Legitimacy is grounded in real engagement.
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Roles, agreements, and decisions are recorded in a shared system.
This protects continuity, prevents authority drift, and maintains clarity across transitions. Structure protects the rhythm. Rhythm protects resident authority.
Realest State
Natural Intelligence has always lived in us. HOUR simply gives us a place to practice it together — through rhythm, shared work, and community wisdom.
Your rhythm belongs here.
Your pace belongs here.