UK co-housing development offers community and friendship for older women
New UK co-housing development offers community and friendship for older women
The Older Women’s Co-Housing (OWCH) is set to open its own purpose-built block of flats in London this November – 18 years after the group first came up with the idea.
The £7 million project – which is the first in the UK designed for and by older people – is in High Barnet and was originally the idea of Shirley Meredeen, who co-founded the Growing Old Disgracefully networkwith Madeleine Levius.
In 1998, aged in her late 60’s and just retired, Shirley attended a co-housing workshop organised by social policy academic Maria Brenton.
She had been traveling around Europe researching options for women ‘helping each other out’ in older age and came across the co-housing model, based on people living close to, but not with each other, in the Netherlands.
Women only
Taking their inspiration from this, Shirley and Madeleine formed the co-housing group and – after numerous delays and funding problems – set about creating their own community for older women.
It’s one of the things that makes the project unique – most other co-housing developments are mixed according to the UK Cohousing Network.
However, the group says housing for older women is of particular importance as they age.
“Women live longer than men, and many have fewer resources because they’ve been cut out of the workforce bringing up children,” Ms Brenton, now aged 70 and the group’s adviser, says.
While men can visit, they can only stay for six weeks before they have to leave.
There will be 26 women aged 50 to 86 moving into the community, which has 17 flats for sale on 250-year leases and eight for social rent to OWCH members. The largest three-bedroom flats cost about £400,000.
Members also share a common room, guest accommodation, garden and laundry.
The scheme is also meant to help the women avoid some of the social isolation and loneliness older people can experience living by themselves.
Some of the OWCH women are widowed or divorced while others are single.
“It’s a way of retaining your independence and your dignity and being among people who can be supportive of you at the same time,” Ms Meredeen, now 86, says.
But with the latest research showing older women are at the most risk of homelessness, it may just be the solution to a growing problem.
Visit the community’s website here.
