For 23-year-old Indian student Shojin Samson, moving to the United States did not mean living in a student hostel or sharing an apartment. Instead, he found himself surrounded by hundreds of older neighbours, a decision that helped him save on rent while finding the family connection he had long missed.When most students move to university, they look for housemates their own age. But Some students in the United States are doing the opposite. Instead of noisy student flats and late-night parties, some college students are ending their evenings in quiet retirement communities. In return for affordable rent, they volunteer a few hours each week and build friendships with older residents.For students, the arrangement provides a safe place to live, lower living costs and a sense of community. For older residents, it brings regular company, fresh energy and meaningful interactions. Programmes like these are slowly expanding in the United States as organisations look for ways to address both housing affordability and loneliness.One such student is 25-year-old Daija Holliday, who moved from North Carolina to attend Marquette University in Milwaukee. Instead of renting a regular apartment, she chose to live at St Camillus Life Plan Community, a retirement community with more than 600 older residents.Holliday says she grew up in her grandparents’ home, so living among older adults felt natural to her. She believes the experience has given her much more than an affordable place to stay. “It’s my family away from home. I always feel like they have my back,” she says, as quoted by Market Watch.
Volunteering for low rent
Holliday pays about $500 a month for an independent apartment at St Camillus. According to the programme, that is around one-third of the local market rent for a one-bedroom apartment. In return, she volunteers for eight hours every week while studying counselling psychology at Marquette University.Her volunteer work includes sharing coffee and newspapers with residents, helping them with errands, leading Saturday morning fitness classes and organising game nights.The programme offers a different lifestyle from a traditional student residence, where evenings are often busy with social events.According to her, the arrangement works well for her, although it may not suit everyone. “By 7.30 or 8, things get pretty quiet here. If you’re looking for more activity at night, this is not for you,” Holliday said.
A growing trend
According to Sheri Steinig, director of strategic initiatives and communications at the nonprofit Generations United, Holliday is among a growing number of young adults living with older people in different settings. Some live in retirement communities, while others take part in home-sharing arrangements where students and seniors share living space.Steinig says the idea helps address two challenges at the same time- rising housing costs and increasing loneliness. “People get out of their silos and live the way people used to live, which was more intergenerationally,” she says.“When people are living together, there’s the opportunity for spontaneous interaction, rather than formal events. There’s immediacy to connecting when people are in the same space,” Steinig adds.Similar programmes have started elsewhere. Last year, St Olaf College in Minnesota introduced an initiative that allows students to live in retirement-community townhouses while interacting with older residents.The Marquette programme itself began in 2022. It was inspired by an intergenerational living programme launched in the Netherlands in 2012. Under that model, university students live rent-free in small apartments inside the Humanitas retirement community in exchange for spending at least 30 hours every month with older residents.
Shared living helps reduce loneliness among both students and older adults. (Picture: Catholic Herald)
Beating loneliness together
In 2023, former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy described loneliness as a public health epidemic. He said loneliness carries health risks similar to smoking 15 cigarettes a day and is linked to higher risks of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety and premature death.Older adults often face social isolation because of reduced mobility, limited transport options or the loss of family members and caregivers. At the same time, many younger people also experience loneliness after moving away from home for studies or work. These programmes thus help tackle loneliness, stereotypes and age-related prejudice, across generations.Jennifer Molinsky, director of the Housing an Aging Society Programme at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, says these living arrangements benefit both age groups. “There’s vital intergenerational connections to be made. It’s an opportunity to connect across generations. A chance to broaden everyone’s horizons,” she says.“Loneliness is an epidemic among both young people and older people. Living together helps bring different energy, skills and opportunities into the space that we wouldn’t normally have. It helps counter stereotypes,” she adds.
Building genuine bonds
The Marquette programme is led by Stacy Barnes, director of the Wisconsin Geriatric Education Center. She says the programme is open to students from all academic backgrounds and age groups. However, those who have joined so far have mainly been graduate students or those pursuing higher-level studies.Five students are expected to live at St. Camillus this autumn. Students who join are expected to enjoy spending time with older adults rather than simply looking for low-cost housing.Barnes says the programme is designed for students who genuinely want to engage with older residents rather than simply save money. “We’re interested in students who are looking for more than cheap rent,” Barnes says.“We’re looking for a level of maturity. Someone who is motivated to live with 600-plus older adults and open to genuine social interactions and sees the potential value in connecting with older adults,” Barnes adds.Students also have access to facilities within the retirement community, including a gym, swimming pool, movie theatre, restaurants, lounges and a pub. To encourage interaction, St Camillus also gives each student a monthly dining credit to use at the community’s restaurants so they can share meals with residents.
Indian student finds family
Among the students living at St Camillus is 23-year-old Shojin Samson, who moved from India to study at Marquette University. Coming to the United States was his first experience of living abroad and his first introduction to American culture.Samson says the retirement community felt familiar because it reminded him of the mixed-age communities he knew back home. He also found it easy to build friendships with the older residents.For Samson, the experience became deeply personal because he lost his grandparents when he was around six years old. “I have always had this void. There’s this space I’d like to fill in my life. I’m very delighted and blessed and thrilled to say I have got so many grandparents now,” he says.Jeremy Pust, executive director of independent living at St Camillus, says the presence of younger people has also had a positive effect on residents.“The younger generation provides a sense of youth, comfort and companionship, especially for some residents who don’t have family or who have family living far away. It’s pretty magical when you see the connections happen,” he says.
