Homeshare
Housing choices are emerging for seniors in Fort Collins
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Sheila Hillhouse’s basement felt more chaotic than usual last week with boxes, furniture and suitcases strewn around.
Renter Sahar Radwan was moving out and a new renter was moving in.
With one adventure coming to an end and another about to begin, Hillhouse, 72, takes the chaos in stride.
She and her husband, Larry, had mostly lived alone in their south Fort Collins home for several years when she heard about the new Neighbor to Neighbor Homeshare program.
The program, in collaboration with The Partnership for Age-Friendly Communities, matches homeowners over age 55 with people looking for a more affordable living option not typically found in Fort Collins. Rent is negotiable and can be a straight financial transaction or lowered rent in exchange for household help.
The Hillhouses’ new tenant will pay $700 a month to rent the two-bedroom, two-bath finished walk-out basement with a kitchen, patio and view of Fossil Creek Park. All Hillhouse asks in return is the ability to keep her craft station and bridge tables set up in the common area, and for the renter to keep an eye on the house and water the plants when she travels.
While they get a little income from the rental, “money is not the motive,” Hillhouse said.
“It just seemed silly to have this big old house with the basement sitting vacant,” she said.
Homeshare is among a trio of potential new options for older residents weighing their living arrangements as they age.
It joins Seniorly.com, a Silicon Valley-based website that allows seniors to search and compare an array of independent and assisted living centers, and a possible 50-unit affordable senior housing project.
All three hope to make a dent in the city’s affordable housing crisis that is particularly acute for seniors, the fastest growing demographic in Fort Collins.
Growing senior demographic
While the median age in Fort Collins is still under 30, the number of people aged 60-64 in Fort Collins grew three times faster than the rate of population, according to a City Plan report.
“We’re seeing an increase because people are aging and not leaving,” said Sue BeckFerkiss, social policy and housing program manager for the city’s Social Sustainability office. “People who live here like it here and wish to age in place. We are looking at strategies as a community to accommodate that need.”
In 2014, the last year for which data is available, the city’s social sustainability office identified between 150 and 200 seniors in need of affordable rental housing, based on wait list information from the Fort Collins Housing Authority, now named Fort Collins Housing Catalyst. At the time, 182 seniors were on the wait list for public housing and 149 were waiting for Section 8 housing.
Housing Catalyst has closed its wait list and does not have updated data on how many seniors are in need of affordable housing.
There’s not a one-size-fitsall solution to the problem, Beck-Ferkiss said. Instead, it will likely take a mix of diverse housing options, including patio homes, condos, subsidized housing, independent and assisted living, and continuing-care facilities, and programs like Homeshare, she said.
Helping one housing shortage may create a trickle-down effect. Seniors choosing to give up home ownership in favor of renting, downsizing or sharing a home help free up other housing in the community, BeckFerkiss said.
Seniors share their homes
Tim Merrick moved to Fort Collins a year ago to be close to his daughter, but was shocked at the city’s high housing costs. With median rents topping $1,300, the 68-year-old Arizona man wondered if he’d be able to stay.
“The first few months were a reality check about the expense of apartments and rooms,” he said. “It really puts serious pressure on people. … It becomes very difficult to live here … .”
Merrick was close to checking out other towns and cities when he heard about Homeshare.
After filling out an application and being fully vetted, including a criminal background check, N2N Homeshare coordinator Debbie Mayer introduced Merrick to an 82-year-old homeowner in north Fort Collins looking for someone to share her home.
“She felt she needed something in the way of companionship,” Merrick said. “After we met, we just became very comfortable instantly.”
He pays $400 a month for a bedroom and bathroom. But Merrick, who bills himself as an artist and craftsman, helps around the house and yard as needed.
The arrangement has worked for both, according to Brooke Cunningham of N2N and Merrick. The homeowner did not want to be interviewed for this story.
“We became friends and she appreciates having somebody to talk to and especially someone who can listen,” Merrick said.
And he appreciates the roof over his head and ability to remain in Fort Collins close to his daughter and now his son, who moved here recently.
They’re helping each other eat healthier, get out for walks and socialize more with neighbors. “We’ve all become this kind of nice little neighborhood group,” Merrick said.