The grannys and grandpas taking over co-housing

For many seniors, what home could look like in the future is uncertain.

Perhaps the old family home is now too large or difficult to maintain. Proximity to healthcare services becomes important, and loneliness is common.

In Auckland’s Ōwairaka, one group of seniors is reclaiming their future – and for them, the future is co-housing.

The group, called Cornerstone Cohousing, describes its members as independent, active adults.

“[We] have come together to create a supportive community in which we can age safely and live fully with dignity and humour,” they say.

And their plans for a multi-unit apartment building in Auckland suburb Ōwairaka for singles and couples over 55 is set to change the way we think about living in later years.

“One of the biggest drivers of what we’re doing is simply about planning our future, instead of having it happen to us,” says Gill Ross, one of the group’s founders. “We want to be part of the process of designing something that suits us now and later in our lives.”

The ethos of co-housing is relatively new in New Zealand. It was pioneered with the rural-fringe Earthsong Eco-neighbourhood in in Ranui, and urban ones are under way in Grey Lynn and Dunedin, but Cornerstone says their version, which will include shared facilities, how decisions are made, and how the homes will be owned has a lot of familiar and conventional principles.

They are planning three-level apartment buildings with a mix of studio, one and two bedroom units. Each will have individual ownership, and owners will also hold a share of communal amenities like a kitchen/dining and lounge area, guest room and communal gardens.

The owners will form part a body corporate to manage the property and community. This is similar to the ownership structure of typical apartment building, but with a greater emphasis on shared spaces and activities.

But unlike apartments, owners will jointly decide on the use of the shared spaces, and be much more hands on with management and maintenance. Co-housing groups see these shared activities as ways of building community. Ross estimates that residents would spend about four to eight hours a month to on things like gardening or managing reservations for the shared guest room.

Importantly, unlike retirement complexes run by private companies, this senior co-housing project will not be about assisted living. Founder Gill, and fellow group member Sue Donnell both have busy lives, so say in their current life stage that the key support wanted is company. The benefits are clear, with studies showing that living together with friends in your community and ageing in place can increase your life expectancy.

“Of course, our proposed location in Ōwairaka means we’re also very close to the city centre and amenities like healthcare, but the most important benefit we anticipate is community and social connection. As we get older, we realise the importance of doing life together with others. We’re not just intent on building homes, we’re building friendships,” Gill says.

Cohousing doesn’t mean cohabiting, Sue adds, and Cornerstone’s community promotes choice and independence.

The group is working with Kāinga Ora Homes and Communities to identify a suitable location for their project as a pilot in the Ōwairaka neighbourhood. Over the next five years Kāinga Ora is replacing 200 old state houses there with approximately 1000 new warm, dry and healthy homes, and sees co-housing as offering another housing choice to foster strong communities.

Co-housing for various life stages is becoming increasingly recognised in New Zealand as a viable and affordable model of housing, and the collective financial resources and shared equity of a group of people are making developers take interest. Sue says they are currently focused on growing their group before approaching a developer with their plans.

Cornerstone Cohousing has two information sessions where people can register their interest on Sunday March 1 (3.30pm, Ferndale House, Mt Albert) and Tuesday March 24 (7.30pm, Melville Cricket Pavilion, Epsom).

- This content was created in partnership with Kāinga Ora