In other cases, no free space exists and needs to be created. Even citizens who have been involved in public life may still view the courthouse, Extension offices, or other public settings as foreign or alienating. In such cases, homes, churches, and potluck meals can become free spaces. Social networks, hospitality, and a familiar environment are crucial to the formation of free spaces. Homes are good places to begin especially for citizens who may lack group identity, self- confidence, and public skills for active citizenship.
Homes are comfortable, friendly, nonthreatening settings that can bridge private and public life.
For instance, living room meetings provided a safe setting in the women's temperance movement.9 Citizens can draw on their experiences for strength and ideas to develop common interests. They can also learn from each other the skills for transforming the living room into a more active civic space. Nine community residents gathered for coffee and conversation with their magistrate for their first gathering. The home setting and the public skills of the volunteer leader helped allay the magistrate's and people's fears of talking with each other. If the local volunteer had tried to hold a town meeting in the courthouse, the results would probably have been quite different.