Fast Company: Using Innovative Housing Solutions to Bridge Generations

October 30th, 2024

In a Fast Company op-ed, Elyse Cherry, CEO of BlueHub Capital, shares how business leaders can support housing solutions that benefit both seniors and younger generations. With over four million Americans turning 65 annually, Cherry highlights approaches like homesharing, where seniors with extra space are paired with younger adults seeking affordable housing. Programs such as California’s HomeShare OC and New York Foundation for Senior Citizens senior home-sharing initiative enable seniors to stay in their homes while helping young people manage high living costs.

Cherry also points to accessory dwelling units (ADUs)—small homes on existing properties—as a flexible housing option, noting programs like Los Angeles’s ADU Accelerator, which matches seniors with tenants for mutual support. Additionally, Cherry mentions Casa Celina, an affordable senior living community in New York that integrates health and social services to foster independence for seniors, while freeing up larger homes for younger buyers.

[Adobe Stock / pikshine]

As Cherry notes, “Business leaders, community development leaders, housing developers, and policymakers all have a stake in the outcome,” stressing the importance of collaboration in expanding housing accessibility.

Read the full op-ed on Fast Company to learn more about how business and community leaders are driving innovative housing solutions that bridge generations and strengthen communities.