The Home Coalition has been awarded a $17,500 AARP Community Challenge Flagship Grant to launch the Senior HomeShare Project. This initiative will help older adults in Southwest Florida stay housed and connected through affordable, shared living.
The Senior HomeShare Project addresses a growing crisis identified by the National Alliance to End Homelessness: Older adults are increasingly at risk of housing instability due to living on fixed incomes. They are currently the fastest-growing demographic group experiencing homelessness in the U.S.
“We see the rising costs in Southwest Florida forcing seniors out of their homes every day,” said Maricela Morado, Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida. “This grant gives us the tools to act now and support aging residents before they fall into crisis.”
The initiative is being developed with organizations across Collier and Lee counties, including the Area Agency on Aging, Goodwill Industries, United Way, Baker Senior Center, Southwest Florida Coalition to End Homelessness, Housing Alliance, county-level human services departments, and all Home Coalition partners.
“This work is only possible because of the strength of relationships among coalition partners,” said Tessa LeSage, Chief Impact Officer at Collaboratory, the backbone organization of the Home Coalition. “Together with AARP, we’re rethinking how we collaborate—shifting from short-term fixes to long-term solutions that address the root causes of housing insecurity and isolation among seniors.”
By working together, the coalition aims to create a home-sharing solution for seniors ages 55 and older that strengthens community, improves health and safety, and makes it possible for more seniors to live with dignity and independence.
This project offers a practical, community-centered response. It will pair two types of seniors—homeowners who want to age in place but are struggling with costs, and housemates who need an affordable, stable place to live.
These matches will provide additional income for homeowners, lower housing costs for renters, offer companionship and reduced social isolation, provide safer living environments and fewer emergency risks, create shared responsibilities and mutual support. It is a crucial bridge to longer-term housing solutions like public housing or vouchers.
The AARP Community Challenge is a grant program to make tangible improvements in communities that jump-start long-term change. It is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods, and rural areas to become great places to live for people of all ages. To learn more, visit AARP.org/Livable.
The Home Coalition is a regional network of cross-sector partners working to ensure that 80 percent of people in Southwest Florida have access to housing and transportation that costs less than 45 percent of their income by 2040. By joining forces with stakeholders from various sectors, the Home Coalition is committed to shaping a future where housing and transportation are not barriers to economic wellbeing but pillars of a thriving community in Southwest Florida. To learn more about the work of the Home Coalition or to contribute, contact us at home@collaboratory.org.
