The lack of affordable housing has been front and center in many cities, even though many people own large homes where they live alone.
In Southern Arizona, members of Tucson Home Sharing, a non-profit organization founded in 2019, encourage people to consider living under one roof with another person so both can benefit.
"We started it because we felt that there was a need to find affordable housing, especially for older adults, as well as to satisfy their needs for companionship and safety and security and independence," says Lucy Read, a volunteer who is the group's vice president.
"And the ability to age in the right place was certainly at the top of our minds."
Read has been working closely with Deb Knox and other volunteers to raise awareness and education about the concept since there are various issues to think about such as safety, compatibility, and financial or social expectations.
"We like to think of it as a as an opportunity to reflect and to process information about our own personal needs and habits and how we'd like to live in a home with somebody else, as well as a way to contribute to to our independence," Read adds.
In 2017, Deb Knox moved in with Sharon Kha, a former journalist and University of Arizona spokesperson, who passed away last year after living with Parkinson's Disease for several years.
Knox enjoyed living in Kha's comfortable midtown house while providing valuable assistance to Kha, but Knox says it became much more than a professional agreement.
The women because great friends.
"Sharon always used to say we're both better off financially and emotionally," Knox says.
"This loneliness business for elders is not good at all, and it's such a simple solution."
Tucson Home Sharing was established in 2019 but will be closing at the end of February 2025 due to limited funding and personnel.
However, the website will remain open until the 28th, and the group plans to meet in person three times this month although pre-registration is required.
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