Foreword
In affordable, affordable and sustainable housing, the ageing Australian housing population poses major challenges, especially at a time of rising housing costs. Seniors want a house that feels comfortable and independent and keeps them in touch with family and friends.
However, many people fail to anticipate that health and economic challenges will reduce housing options as they age. Emphasizing social interaction, environmental sustainability and accessible design, co-housing can provide attractive housing options for older people. In the latest research funded by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services and the Office of Environment and Heritage, we set out to explore the potential of co-living for older people.
How united housing works
Internationally, common housing has become a housing option, but it is relatively new to Australia. Co-living or co-living arrangements are designed to mix private and shared living spaces in a way that meets both privacy needs and a sense of community and support. The German Baugruppen model is a well-known international example.
Although the size, density, and design of shared homes vary, there are some common characteristics:
First, prospective residents are often involved in the design process to ensure that the final building will meet their needs. Second, the design includes some combination of private homes and shared spaces, and encourages community interaction. The shared space can be minimized to a garden or laundry, or it can be expanded to a communal kitchen, lounge and guest facilities.
Third, residents are usually actively involved in the management of property.
What is the purpose of the study? Through initial interviews with stakeholders, we identified three different common housing options that are particularly promising for seniors in Sydney:
With careful development, architects can enable future residents to actively participate in the design of multi-unit buildings that will eventually reside. BreatheArchitecture pioneered this approach in Melbourne’s Commons, and Nightingale Housing is helping to promote the idea. Although this model is not specifically targeted at the elderly, it has great potential to provide common housing for the elderly.
Cooperative leasing, where residents form housing cooperatives to manage building leasing. Common equity is the main supporter of this model in NSW, with 39 housing cooperatives established. This model is particularly attractive to private tenants, as they are particularly vulnerable to financial issues and social isolation. Small-scale combined housing, one of which has been refurbished to accommodate one to three. The Bain family home is a good example. This model is attractive as a way to downsize or assist children with housing challenges.
Acceptance disorder
We tested these three models in a focus group with seniors and found that there was an image problem with the common housing. Participants were keenly aware of the housing challenges to be overcome by common housing. But when we started discussing common housing, their minds immediately turned to hippies, communes and shared houses. Unfortunately, because there are modern townhouse options that are great for the mainstream. These examples are well designed and strike a balance between privacy and community.
We found low awareness of common housing and its potential benefits. In particular, older people reject the idea of shared living space. Some people say they “take some time” and want to remain independent. They worry that others will not “do their best” to maintain shared spaces. Others like the idea of increasing social interaction, but are less enthusiastic about the ongoing governance of participating properties. Participants quickly identified potential obstacles to common housing. These measures include local plan restrictions, protection of funds or the impact on their pension eligibility. The tempting conclusion is that common housing is a good idea that lacks a market. A common view among our focus groups is: “This is a good idea, but not for me.” But in all of these groups, we found a small number of participants, roughly 10-20% , They are interested in this idea. 10-20% of the market can make an important contribution to addressing the housing challenge. We also found many groups that are working to build a common house, such as the AGEncy project in Balmain. If common housing can overcome its image problem, the market could be even bigger.
How to get information about common housing
We propose the following steps to begin to realize the potential of common housing for the elderly. First, more people need to know that cohabitation is an option. Raising awareness of common housing and eliminating some of the myths about it are top priorities.
A small part of us is three fact sheets on common housing for the elderly. There is an urgent need for more demonstration projects so people can see the real feeling of living in a common house. Second, more work needs to be done to connect more and more people who want to live together. One of the biggest challenges is finding a group of people with similar housing needs and desires. Web platforms have great potential here, and some attempts have been made to develop such platforms. For example, the Henry Project is working on a co-living network platform.
Third, there are many things the government can do to support common housing and overcome existing obstacles. For example, the government can provide financial support or provide land for demonstration projects. They can also ensure that planning regulations allow the development of common housing. Finally, existing senior housing providers can adopt the core idea of common housing in their development. Retirement villages and aged care facilities often include shared living spaces. Participation in design and governance may be less common.
