I knew about boomer and senior housing trends, but far less about affordable housing—the staggering shortage for older adults—and some of the creative, intergenerational models. So the Columbia University Age Boom Academy fellowship I received recently on 50+ housing was enlightening.
Fellows in the program heard from experts in 50+ housing and people impacted by the housing crisis. A well-educated, homeless older woman who went from a comfortable lifestyle to living on the streets after a divorce caused by alcoholism was especially moving. Today, she is alcohol-free and has a subsidized apartment, thanks to a social service agency that found her on the streets.
Here are a couple of pieces I wrote that came out of the fellowship:
One, for Yahoo Financial, is on “intentional communities.” They are often intergenerational housing models built around helping a specific segment of the population. For instance, older adults move to these typically affordable housing communities to support foster parents and their children who have come out of the foster care system, or injured veterans, or adults who are neurodiverse.
What intentional communities provide for older adults is a winning combination of housing they can afford, a sense of purpose and a ready-made group of friends.
Another story, this one for AARP, focuses on a novel housing model where professional caregivers and their families live in the same building as older adults, many who they take care of. There is huge interest in replicating this model around the country. I love the concept!
