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Third Places
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this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2026
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who pays the rent?
Reminds me of a local group that set up an emergency response station for their community. Something I would love to do; however, when asked how everything was funded it turned it it was just one rich old dude that decided to set it up on a whim. Yet, they still tell people to set up their own groups in their communities... but obviously the one barrier to that is there isn't a rich person in every community that would be open to the idea.
Sure, we could crowdfund the equipment, but to do it properly would cost millions of dollars, mostly for electricians to set up solar panels and a direct line to the local grid to make sure everything's ready.
yeah. people don't get the logistics, the liability, the legality.
if you start a third space, and there is an accident or incident, you're gonna get sued. you also have to pay rent, utilities, and usage fees that may be in your town/city. and now in the age of social media, you can expect to be harassed/mobbed/campaigned against if you upset the wrong person.
the problem with third space idealism is that everyone wants someone else to take on the burden of this stuff. and it's a burden. there isn't much direct benefit to people who are in charge of these spaces.
are you asking for advice for your own place or as a gotcha? in any case, we're a core group of 16 people that split the rent. there are some events throughout the year that bring in some money for upkeep a bit.
i'm asking as a legit question. rent where i live for any commercial space is several thousand dollars a month, so you need a sweetheart deal to be able to run any space, or a huge grant or some other big source of funding.
in my case our space was given to us free by someone as a evenings-only lease on on an space that was owned outright by a rich guy and he used us a tax write-off/donation to the tune of $3000/mo.