Golden Girls housing gains ground as older adults face rising costs
Home-sharing programs are pairing older homeowners and renters as housing costs squeeze people who want to age in place.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Older adults trying to age in place are turning to Golden Girls housing as rents, property costs and limited senior housing options strain fixed incomes. The model pairs homeowners who have extra bedrooms with renters seeking lower-cost housing, making use of homes that already exist.
HealthDay reported that Sunshine Home Share Colorado, a Denver nonprofit founded in 2016 by senior services administrator Alison Joucovsky, arranged 31 home shares last year, its highest annual total. Joucovsky described the work as a way to create affordable housing while supporting older residents who want to remain in their communities.
What is Golden Girls housing?
Golden Girls housing is an informal name for home sharing among unrelated adults, often with an older homeowner renting out a spare room. The phrase refers to the 1980s sitcom about four women sharing a Miami house, but today’s programs usually involve screening, interviews and written agreements rather than casual roommate searches.
Personal care is not part of these arrangements, according to the National Shared Housing Resource Center. Some matches include a service exchange, in which a renter performs tasks such as shoveling snow, shopping or preparing some meals in return for lower rent.
Why demand is rising
The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies found that about one-third of households led by someone 65 or older were cost-burdened in 2024, meaning they spent more than 30% of income on housing. The center said nearly 80% of those households were homeowners, but many still face mortgages, home equity loans, taxes, utilities, maintenance and insurance costs.
Younger adults are under pressure as well. The Joint Center reported that 37% of people ages 25 to 34 and 31% of those ages 35 to 44 were cost-burdened, creating potential demand from renters who might be open to shared housing.
About 55 organizations around the United States offer home-share services, according to the National Shared Housing Resource Center. Laura Fanucchi, the center’s president and an administrator at HIP Housing in San Mateo County, California, has pointed to existing spare rooms as a practical housing resource at a time when new construction is costly and slow.
How programs make matches
Home-share groups typically screen both sides before a match. Staff may interview applicants, run background checks, verify income, arrange introductory calls or meetings and step in if problems arise after someone moves in.
The details can determine whether a match works. Programs often ask about smoking, pets, visitors, remote work, parking, thermostat preferences and other daily routines that can create conflict between housemates.
Some organizations are adding online tools to widen their reach. HomeShare Oregon executive director Candice Smith told HealthDay that its platform has drawn close to 7,000 homeowners and housing seekers over five years, comparing the process to online matching with added safeguards.
States and cities test support
Portland, Oregon, announced a pilot program this year offering $1,000 to homeowners who make one spare room available through qualified home-share programs, or $1,500 for two rooms. The city described the effort as a way to encourage shared housing.
Several states have considered limits on local rules that restrict unrelated people from living together. Colorado passed a 2024 law barring cities and counties from limiting the number of unrelated people who may share one dwelling, with state Rep. Manny Rutinel among its supporters.
In Pennsylvania, state Rep. Tarik Khan helped move a similar bill through the House in June; it awaits a Senate vote. The Pennsylvania proposal would cap nonfamily occupants at five. Connecticut senators passed a bill with a three-person limit in April, but it did not receive a House vote, and sponsors plan to bring it back next session.
Supporters acknowledge that home sharing will not end the housing shortage. They argue it can still open thousands of unused bedrooms without requiring new buildings or changing neighborhood character.
This story draws on original reporting from Phys.org.