I have visited a traditional family who live maybe half a mile from there in a lovely wooded neighborhood of suburban homes large enough for families with two or more children. There is a large, forested town park around the Eno River with children's play equipment. It chills me to think that unsuspecting families must have kids in school and camp with the children from this commune right in their township.
They can say "gay parenting" is just the same all they want; but it is not; nor is communal living a good environment in the absence of a strong moral commitment shared by every member, such as the Shaker communities. Most communes I've ever heard or read about since the days of the hippies and Jim Jones, are fundamentally about access to multiple-partner or illicit sex.
Had a friend who had grown up in a hippie commune in Spain. She wouldn’t go into a lot of it, but she didn’t know who her father was and refused to have any contact with her mother. She was extremely angry about her childhood.
What this case had brought to light is the complete censorship of any studies that show connections between pedophilia and homosexuals; in fact there is a complete blackout of studies that are not flattering to homosexuals.
Look at Israel and the history of the Kibbutz; if not for them Israel may not have succeeded. However you do bring up many instances of communal living arrangements that are simply covers for physical/sexual abuse. I’m reminded of Colonia Dignidad in Chili.
While we have in the US the absolute right to assemble along with the absolute right to practice our religion, this right does not give these groups cover or special right allowing them to break laws.