Multi-Generational Roommates

The Washington Post: One roommate is 85, the other is 27. Such arrangements are growing.

In an effort to grow community and navigate our current housing crisis, many are taking the old fashioned roommate and adding a once uncommon twist. Per the Washington Post, multi-generational roommate living situations are on the rise, with our younger generations renting rooms with those older. Per Donna Butts, executive director of D.C.-based Generations United, this is rising in popularity as a direct result of young people being priced out of the housing market and seniors look to age in place.

As someone in the early stages of planning for retirement and next life steps, I found this article to be comforting, offering unique insight on the benefits of these living situations. Roommates like Nadia and Judith are breaking the mold, showing how we can live better and reduce isolation. It also shows we are missing opportunities to connect and interact with our elderly, many of whom are seeking new companionship in the later years of their lives. It’s certainly an interesting concept to consider, and perhaps there are ways we can assist and support this living situation in the forward.

Would you consider sharing your space with someone of a different generation? Let us know at thoughts@microlifeinstitute.org!