To the Stars
Ad Astra is a collectively maintained housing cooperative located in the heart of Lawrence, Kansas — just two blocks from downtown and a short walk from the KU campus. We’re not just a house. We’re a home for people building something bigger: collective care, housing justice, and everyday autonomy.
🏛 A Brief History
Ad Astra began as the historic Wilcox Hunter House, originally located at 1309 Ohio Street. In 2003, the University of Kansas Student Housing Association (UKSHA) acquired the property from the KU Endowment Association for $1, and relocated the entire structure to 1033 Kentucky Street. After a full renovation and relocation (yes, the whole house moved — you can read the news story here), Ad Astra opened as a student housing cooperative in 2005.
Over the years, Ad Astra has evolved into a vibrant, mixed-membership community of students, workers, artists, and organizers — all committed to living cooperatively, sustaining each other, and refusing the logic of profit-driven housing.
🏠 What Living Here Looks Like
Life at Ad Astra is grounded in shared labor, shared meals, and shared power. Members contribute to the house by:
- Cooking and eating together on a bulk food plan
- Holding weekly house meetings every Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
- Completing about 5 hours/week of house labor
- Participating in maintenance, cleaning, and organizing work holidays
- Supporting one another across lines of age, identity, income, and experience
✊ Unionization & Decentralization
In April 2025, Ad Astra tenants declared the formation of the Cooperative Tenants Union of Ad Astra, Lawrence’s first active tenant union in over two decades.
This union exists to:
- Democratize financial decisions and governance
- Prevent displacement and extractive practices
- Represent tenants in all external relationships
- Maintain clear responsibilities and internal accountability
- Link Ad Astra to broader housing justice movements in Kansas and beyond
🤝 Partnership with KASH
As of May 1, 2025, Ad Astra is fiscally administered through a formal partnership with the Kansas Association for Social Housing (KASH) — a nonprofit housing justice organization.
KASH handles:
- Transparent rent & utility pooling
- Monthly financial statements
- Budget assistance and basic property operations support
- Fiscal hosting of the operating reserves
The partnership between KASH and Ad Astra allows us to self-govern with full financial independence while maintaining legal compliance and long-term stability. No landlords — we govern ourselves.
Whether you're looking for housing, trying to start a co-op, or just curious about what tenant power looks like in real life, Ad Astra is living proof that collective housing is not only possible, but transformative.
To learn more check out our Instagram or KASH's website!
Housing is a human right. Co-ops make it real.
Want to live with us?
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Ad Astra is a values-driven housing cooperative rooted in collective care, sustainability, and shared power. We are currently at capacity through July 2026, but you’re welcome to join our waitlist. If an opening becomes available, we’ll reach out directly to continue the application process. Thanks for your interest in cooperative living — we’re excited to build with you.
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Ad Astra is a 10-bedroom, 3 bathroom house (with bidets!). There is a large kitchen with natural sunlight and composting and recycling facilities, a shared tool shop, an attic, and plentiful communal space in the living room and dining room. Outside, we have an awesome porch, fire pit, a grill, as well as a robust garden bearing peaches, pears, black raspberries and more. Monthly rent includes the room, bulk food, all utilities, laundry facilities and detergent, and high speed wireless internet and amounts to approximately $520-563, depending on room size. In addition to a bike rack and bike atrium, there is a small parking lot behind the house and substantial street parking nearby. Ad Astra is normally pet free, but feel free to email us if you would like to inquire about your pet.