For many older single women, housing insecurity can come as an unwelcome surprise. We’ve spent our best decades building a family, caring for loved ones, and holding down a career. The reward is often divorce, job loss, and estrangement. When coupled with scarcity of suitable affordable housing, and cost of living far outstripping earnings or interest from savings, it becomes hard to keep a roof over your head.

When we think about housing, images of traditional homes or apartment complexes often come to mind. But what if there was another way to live, one that fostered community, cooperation, and shared values? Enter cohousing: a unique, intentional living arrangement that began in Denmark and has since spread worldwide.