With Boulder’s senior population expected to grow sharply in the coming decades, the city is looking for housing options to meet anticipated needs. One solution the city is actively pursuing is a home-sharing program, which city staff presented to the Housing Advisory Board in June.
The city’s senior population is projected to grow significantly by 2050. While Boulder residents ages 40-59 are projected to increase by 15% by 2050, the city’s older population is expected to grow even faster. Residents ages 60-79 are projected to increase by 22%, and those ages 80 and older by 200%, according to the Colorado State Demographer’s Office.
Community feedback from seniors and caregivers revealed that many older adults are caught in the middle, earning too much to qualify for Boulder Housing Partners housing but not enough to comfortably afford market-rate housing. Some seniors also said they were struggling to maintain their homes.
Under the proposed home-sharing model, a senior would rent out a room in their home to a tenant. The city would help facilitate the process, potentially through a nonprofit partnership, by helping vet tenants and complete background checks to help create compatible matches.
The proposal grew out of feedback from seniors, who said they wanted to remain in their homes, had difficulty downsizing or were looking for companionship. Home-sharing could also provide extra income and an additional set of hands around the house.
The city is currently working to identify a source of funding and plans to issue a request later this year for a vendor to operate the program.
Other senior housing developments expected over the next several years include Presbyterian Manor and a development on the Iris Fields property by luxury senior living developer The Academy. Frasier Meadows, which currently has a waiting list of about 700 people, is also looking to expand.
It would be very helpful for BRL to do an update on the status of the Iris Fields development–since the sale was originally projected to occur in February and no information seems to be available concerning this delay. Boulder is, indeed, in need of moderate income housing for seniors, preferably in central Boulder. Some folks may want roommates so as to stay in their homes, but I doubt that this is the best solution, nor does it free up middle-income housing for younger homebuyers.
I would be very interested in knowing how many seniors would actually be interested in taking on a roommate. Was a valid survey done?
This is a sad commentary on the fact that the city refuses to incentivize building affordable housing for middle income residents in any way.
Listening to the presentation to HAB in the link was maddening! Of all the options they identified, the city only is interested in pursuing home sharing. There is a fantastic nonprofit in Denver that specifically focuses on home shares so, mark my words, City of Boulder will make a huge deal about partnering with this organization and the only thing they will contribute is some additional funding.
Again, this is the lowest of the low hanging fruit. A very typical approach for the city. Their weak justification for this is that their little focus group audiences didn’t want the city to be involved in anything else. I wonder why!
I’m a senior would like to rent our room in Boulder irBroomfield
Will the city, or their vendor, be around later, after matching and vetting, to mediate disputes, help collect overdue rent, or facilitate evictions when it doesn’t work out? I think there are better ways to help our vulnerable seniors besides forcing them to become landlords.
Why make an entirely new bureaucratic system over a simple room rental?