The Mae House Residency is open to BIPOC community members and their families. Each request will be carefully reviewed and considered and will be chosen by a first-come and first-need basis. While we know that we won’t be able to fulfill every single request form, we sincerely hope that through offering a space of rest created by us and for us, we have accomplished a little bit of what we set out to do.

You can read the requirements and fill out the form right this way. If you don’t fit the preset requirements, please email Cherokee@themae.house to access a gentle sliding scale for BIPOC.

Each month, BIPOC community members are invited to stay at The Mae House. These stays take place over weekends or weekdays during the pre-slotted residency weeks.

We run off the ethos of community and mutual aid. We are not a non-profit, but the aid arm of a company. We believe that offering BIPOC the gift of rest as residency, with no contingent work, art, or agreements to otherwise fulfill, is a deeply important aspect in how we generationally heal as people.

Rest is liberation, and to be part of this liberative practice, we offer stays at no cost. How do we make this work? Non-residency rentals that are not free or cost-discounted are priced to accommodate the expense of residency stays. The more folks rent at cost, the more we are able to provide residency stays free-of-charge.

Rented at cost for at least 14 days per month, we can provide a 3- 7 night stay, with no cleaning fees, charge, or upkeep to a BIPOC community member for one week per quarter.

The Mae House is located in The Village of Athens, New York, about 2.6 hours from New York City. The house is accessible via Amtrak, about 20 minutes from the train station. Private parking is available at the back of the house via the 9th alley, and can comfortably fit two to three cars. Please note that the garage is off limits, and may not be accessed during your stay.

Residents will be responsible for transportation arrangements to and from the Mae House, and we are more than happy to provide booking info and resources.

Food is not included in the residency stay. The kitchen comes with ample amounts of cabinet storage space for cooking and a propane grill on the deck for all-season grilling. There are grocery stores nearby and many restaurants within a short drive.

The Rest as Residency program is for BIPOC residents and their family members. For the purpose of this residency, we define family as people living in the same household. The Mae House has three bedrooms, two dens, and three full bathrooms. The primary room has one queen bed with an ensuite bathroom and large clawfoot soaking tub. Bedroom two has one full bed. The third bedroom has a bunk bed that is a twin XL (great for a teen or adult) over a queen bed. In addition, there are two sofas, one located in the upstairs den and one in the downstairs den (which has an adjacent bathroom, shower, and laundry room) with an accessible air mattress. The house can comfortably accommodate two families or 6 guests.

We believe in the importance of intergenerational spaces. We try to make The Mae House as family-friendly as possible. That said, residents are fully responsible for the safety and security of their children at all times.

The first story of the house has a kitchen, bathroom, shower, laundry, living room, dining room, and an air mattress. Guests can enter via the back door of the house, where there is one small step to enter through the mud room, and will be able to primarily enjoy their stay on the bottom level if needed. There are no steps to enjoy the land, but there is a slight incline about half-way through the year and we ask that folks stay on the first portion of the yard if the decline or incline may be difficult to traverse.

You will be notified via email at least two to three weeks before the residency should begin by The Mae House Community Engagement and Outreach Director.

If you are not accepted for the current session, you may submit a request form for subsequent residency sessions. After you are notified that you have been approved for a residency, you will have one week to accept or decline the offer for the stay.