Large group home for elders, who happened to be women

March 18, 2024 3:53 PM

I’m looking for an article from two or three years ago about a group of single, retired women sharing a large home, more like a big lodge, and kitchen. They had a cook, or maybe two and it might have been a faith-based community. I think it was somewhere on the east coast.

The building seemed like and older one. Not derelict, but more homey that corporate “assisted living” homes.

I’ve long had an idea, cooked up with my other childless women friends, to form a community like the one described in the article. Any help finding the article, or even information about homes/communities like this would be great!
TIA

posted by Gusaroo to Society & Culture (10 answers total)

I don't know the specific community you mention, but search terms might be "intentional community" and "co-housing". Here is an article from the Guardian about a "co-housing community aimed at tackling the climate crisis and loneliness in later life".
posted by paduasoy at 4:10 PM on March 18 [1 favorite]

This isn't it either, but might be of interest.
posted by kate4914 at 4:16 PM on March 18

Sadly this also probably isn't it but might also be of interest!
posted by goo at 5:17 PM on March 18 [1 favorite]

I had an idea like that when I was in my thirties. I thought we should buy the big house then and rent it out ( this was in a university town full of big old houses that students liked to rent) and that by the time we needed it the mortgage would be paid off and we'd have plenty of money for a cook, a gardener, etc. I wonder if i wrote about my idea here in response to someone's question.
posted by mareli at 3:26 AM on March 19

I remember that article, but can't find it either. This looks like a good resource, though.
posted by evilmomlady at 3:26 AM on March 19

New Ground Cohousing (Guardian) might be of interest.
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:48 AM on March 19

Maybe check this list? It’s from cohousing.org.
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:52 AM on March 19

This reminded me of an article I read in the New York Times last year (gift link). They discuss a few different models, none of which are quite what you've mentioned. But, if you read far enough, you'll see some discussion of co-housing and also another very interesting intergenerational housing model: Bridge Meadows, an apartment complex with elder apartments and family townhouses, for families with foster kids. The idea is that the older folks have community with each other and also can help support the families, and being around kids is great for older folks, too. It was purpose-built.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:41 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I can’t choose a “best” answer here because I found all of the information links valuable. I’m glad to see that the idea has caught on in a bigger way than I realized. I do have more questions now than I started with, but that’s a good thing.

It’s a huge benefit to have the wisdom of the communities that have gone through much of the learning curve for this type of living together-ish. (I also wish I could pick up and move to Cannock Mill in the UK.)

Thank you MonkeyToes for the link to co-housing.org. I had no idea there were so many US co-housing places, including some in my own county.
posted by Gusaroo at 8:45 AM on March 26

FWIW my childfree friends and I all talk about this and we are about 25 years from implementing it! Looking forward to years of wisdom by then.
posted by dazedandconfused at 8:36 PM on March 31