Anyone who lives in a college or university town quite probably understands shared housing. Barf on the sidewalk. Beer-bottles perched on the front step. Grass a foot high. Six bicycles chained to the porch. Loud music.
Students in institutional residences long for the freedom of a shared house, making best friends for life (or best enemies depending on the roomies) and a chance to participate in the young adult party scene.
Many, if not most, depart with a sigh of relief, animals returned to the wild from the shared zoo, without the slightest intention of ever returning.
The lack of affordable housing is changing all that in Australia. For many, the high cost of ownership has killed hope of a dream house. And after decades of rental, as well as steady rent increases, there is a new and growing interest in shared housing.
As older adults take the plunge into shared housing in spite of its unsavoury reputation, they are discovering important benefits to the entire arrangement beyond all-important cheaper accommodation. Read more in PHYS.ORG: Generation Share: Why more older Australians are living in share houses
