How Do You Start a DIY Senior Housing Co-op?
A group of London women got press attention recently for the senior housing co-op they started. The New Ground Cohousing project won an award for its design and praise from the media for promoting healthy socialization and independence among its senior residents. Two dozen women now enjoy the results of eighteen years of work to bring the project to life. So how do you start a DIY senior housing co-op? Here’s how they did it.
Learn the senior co-op basics
Shirley Meredeen told The Telegraph she was inspired by a co-housing workshop she attended in 1998 and by seeing women who found themselves lonely and isolated in their later years. She founded a group of like-minded women—the Older Women’s Cohousing Project – and consulted with a researcher who studied co-op housing in the Netherlands. Based on her findings, they decided their co-op would have individual entrances to apartments and private quarters, plus a community kitchen, dining area, living areas, and a garden.
Plan the senior-co-op lifestyle
They also thought about accessibility and adaptability, to insure they could live independently for as long as possible. As with co-op buildings in New York City, residents would choose new members. And although residents would contribute to common-area chores, the group was very clear that the co-op would not be a commune and that each resident would be independent and have privacy.
Find the right co-op location
The Guardian reported that for the Older Women’s Cohousing Project, finding the right site turned out to be one of the biggest hurdles to getting their co-op built. A five-year timeline ended up taking much longer. The group, whose members changed over the years, had to work with town planners who focused on family housing rather than senior housing. They also had a hard time finding affordable property near community amenities.
The group finally found a location in suburban London. In December 2016, residents finally moved into their new senior co-op. Getting a cohousing project done, one woman told The Guardian, is “not for the fainthearted,” but for members, the opportunity to be social and independent was worth the work.
Is there senior co-op housing in the US?
Senior co-op housing isn’t as common in the US as independent senior living, but senior co-ops do exist. For example, the Gramercy Park Cooperative in Rochester, Minnesota, is open to residents age 62 and older and includes an onsite library, flower gardens, and free van transportation around town. The Laurelmeade Cooperative in Providence, Rhode Island, includes 40 apartment styles and 23 acres of grounds next to the Seekonk River. Residents retain their independence while enjoying the community woodworking shop, pool, and café.
More independent living choices
If you don’t want to start your own co-op and there are no co-ops near you, consider independent living communities. They give residents a balance of privacy and social options, but residents don’t share chores. If you visit independent living locations to see if they’re right for you, take along our retirement living checklist to keep track of the lifestyle, location, staffing and pricing questions you’ll want to ask.
Casey Kelly-Barton
Casey Kelly-Barton is an Austin-based freelance writer whose childhood was made awesome by her grandmothers, great-grandmother, great-aunts and -uncles, and their friends.
4 Comments
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Sounds similar to the vision that is in process now that I have. No more than 5 compatible resident’s living in a 5brm home a family setting. A vision that I had for 10 years, now is the time! the demand is high nursing homes and assistant living homes are over crowded and overly charged no one on one companionship. Look for the name “Crystal’s Care Home LLC non-profit” organizations coming soon to the Toledo area!!! Residental application are now being accepted.
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Great idea Good luck!
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Our group, Senior Village Action Group would like to create a Senior housing development in our town. It is small scale in order to get this started. Small houses in a small community near a town center in central MA. In keeping with the history and value of a New England town, we want to make about 6-8 cottages that fit in with the style of the town and promote further residences and interest and economic development in our town. We have also been looking into the properties owned by the town that are abandoned schools and buildings once used for agricultural purposes. We have been meeting for about 8 months and have been researching possibilities but have no money to go further. Our town is behind us in this endeavour but can not help financially. Any help would be appreciated.
We need a developer to share our plans and help us move forward. Our only economic gains would be felt by the town in residences for Seniors who would otherwise be moving from the town to Senior Living communities outside and much farther away from town, thus losing track of friends and family in old age when we need community around us. -
We are 6 or more older women who would like to start a “Village” in rural Northern California. We are looking at land of 15 -20 acres with some outbuildings, maybe a house. Then we hope to add small cabins, vegetable gardens, maybe chickens. The picture is clear but how do you do it financially? Who owns it? Do you own cabin and pay maintenance fees? We would want to hire a manager- maintenance couple.
