1. The Senior Cohousing Handbook, A Community Approach to Independent Living is a comprehensive guide to joining or creating a cohousing project, written by the U.S. leader in the field, Charles Durrett, the architect who brought the modern version of cohousing to North America from Denmark in the 1980s. The author deals with all the psychological and logistical aspects of senior cohousing, and addresses common concerns, fears, and misunderstandings. He emphasizes the many positive benefits of cohousing including: better physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health, rich built-in social network, safety and security, affordability, shared resources, and mutual support.
2. Creating Cohousing, Building Sustainable Communities is an in-depth exploration of cohousing for those who values their independence but long for more connection with those around them. Written by Charles Durrett and his team this fully-illustrated manual combines nuts-and-bolts practical considerations and design ideas with extensive case studies of dozens of diverse communities in Europe and North America.
3. Housing Options for Older Adults in Hamilton
Prepared by The Senior’s Advisory Committee
This resource guide provides important information about housing and housing alternatives such as Home Sharing for seniors in Hamilton. It is meant to help individuals stay in their own homes as long as they are able to, then, as circumstances change, help them to gather as much information as possible to better understand options and assist with decisions about future housing. Contents include: Co-housing, Co-operative housing, Emergency housing, Garden suites, Home sharing, Life lease housing, Renovating – staying in your current home, and Tips to keep your home safe. To view the brochure, visit https://www.hamilton.ca/city-initiatives/strategies-actions/senior-and-older-adult-resources.
4. The Halton HomeShare Program is a partnership between Halton Region, Halton Housing Help, and Burlington Age-Friendly Council. Currently being offered throughout Halton, this program works to match older adults with renters who can help with household responsibilities. Halton Housing Help screens applicants and provides follow-up monitoring services.
They also offer the HomeShare Toolkit, a guide to help understand and negotiate homesharing.
Read the article: How Halton seniors sharing space keeps them in their homes
5. Commonly is an online matching platform that helps make connections between people who are looking to co-own a property. To visit their website, click here.
6. A Place to Thrive: Options and Possibilities for Seniors’ Housing. Click here to access resources for seniors’ housing.
Video Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uctT-VkYIoo