While shared housing has a lot of perks, doing it right can be a daunting task.
Personally, I find it helpful to remind myself of all of the successfully shared houses that there are out there. I’ve lived in some myself, and they’re a ton of them out there that I already know about. I also find out about new ones that I’ve never heard of all of the time.
That’s part of why I wanted to share the videos below with you. They’re just inspiring. But there’s another reason too.
People who have had success with shared housing have already been down a road that you may just be beginning. And most of them have learned the hard way what it takes to make this work. By listening to their stories, we can learn what really matters with this sort of thing and get actionable advice to make our own dreams a reality.
Ready to get inspired?
Here are several uplifting stories about thriving shared houses from around the globe.
This first video is of my friends and I living together in Asheville, North Carolina
This video shows the impact that shared housing has on people facing hard times, including homelessness in Dallas, Texas.
A beautiful example of multigenerational shared living from Australia
Australian news report covering examples of senior shared housing in Tazmania
A group of self-sufficient seniors living together in one of four shared homes created in Chicago by the nonprofit Senior Housing Share
Three Boomers aging in community in Ontario Canada
This Japanese example of a shared house features a younger set of housemates, but it’s pretty neat.
There are also some broader discussions of shared housing that look at the movement more deeply.
In Manchester, UK, people old and young discuss the desperate need for shared housing in their community.
Organizers Pat Dunn and Louise Bardswich discuss shared housing within the Aging in Community movement in Canada.
Margaret Manning and Bonnie Moore dig into why so many women over 60 are interested in shared housing.
Finally, I recently filmed a short video of my own covering what I have found works and what doesn’t from my own experiences with shared housing.
If you have found these videos helpful, join the conversation on Facebook.
And if you are ready to dig deeper, I have a next step for you to take.
I recently put together a FREE exercise just for you that I think you’ll find helpful. It’s actually repurposed from my book, Your Quest for Home.
It’s called Casting a Wider Net in 4 Easy Steps. It’s a mind mapping exercise designed to get you heading in the right direction when you are thinking of who might live in your shared house. While it’s designed for folks who are in the planning stage of creating their community, it should be interesting regardless of where you are in your journey.
To receive it, simply enter your email address below, and I’ll get it right to you. And if you decide to put it to work, please let me know! Seriously, I love that kind of feedback.
Sign up below to receive my free exercise for finding your people!
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