Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Senior Housing [was Reaction to Adawehi webinar

[Thomas Chapel (tjchapel]

Ah--thanks

Tom Chapel


On Fri, Feb 27, 2026 at 2:34 PM Sharon Villines via Cohousing-L <
cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:

> > On Feb 26, 2026, at 10:34 AM, Thomas Chapel via Cohousing-L <
> cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:
> >
> > Hmm. Guess i was thinking age is a protected class. BUT on other hand how
> > do senior communities prohibit folks under 55? Or cruises or resorts that
> > ban kids. Not sure.
>
> These are specific regulations. From Perplexity:
>
> > Senior housing communities with lower age limits of 55-60 are primarily
> regulated under federal U.S. law through exemptions to the Fair Housing Act
> (FHA), allowing age restrictions that would otherwise be discriminatory.
> These exemptions come from the Housing for Older Persons Act (HOPA) of
> 1995, overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
> (HUD).
> >
> > HOPA permits three main types: 55+ communities (at least 80% of units
> with one resident 55+), 62+ communities (all residents 62+), and
> state/federally funded elderly housing.
> >
> > For 55+ housing, communities must publish policies showing intent for
> older persons housing, verify resident ages every two years via IDs or
> affidavits, and adhere to the 80/20 occupancy rule. Limits around 55-60
> often align with 55+ standards, as 60 is not a federal threshold but may
> appear in community rules or local variations.
> >
> > Key Requirements
> >     • Occupancy: 80% of units need at least one 55+ resident; the other
> 20% offers flexibility but typically excludes those under 18-19.
> >     • Verification: Ongoing age checks ensure compliance.​
> >     • Exceptions: Spouses/partners under the limit or caregivers may
> reside with qualifiers.
>
> Having this legal designation allows villages to avoid residential
> requirements designed to protect or provide facilities for children under
> 18-19. Many communities allow younger children to visit or stay during
> school vacations but there are often time limits on such stays. Communities
> can set their own exceptions. And the 80/20 rule allows exceptions for ages
> 20-55.
>
> (I’m working on writing comparisons between the senior village I live in
> and the cohousing community I lived in, but my sense of things keeps
> changing and I keep rewriting.)
>
> One thing that is not true is that there are no children in senior
> villages. There are frequent parties or other celebrations when children
> attend with grandparents, etc. Children often visit regularly. The
> Christmas party here had so many children that people couldn’t get in the
> door. I often see teens having lunch with elders. I asked one woman about
> her frequent 16-17 year old guests and discovered that she taught in a
> close-by Catholic school and the students still visit.
>
> The staff is also filled with high school and junior college students.
> There is a strong attitude that interactions are supportive and educational
> rather than complaining or correcting. (The interactions provide a lot of
> humor as well.)The residents raise money all year for scholarships. During
> the recent almost-blizzard, we housed 300 staff members at Riderwood or
> nearby hotels because they couldn’t get home if they did, might not get
> back.
>
> The evening dining hours are early because people are concerned that
> students need to get home on school nights, for example, so the family
> concerns of the community also affects senior communities.
>
> And also the age spread between 55 and 109 is as large as the spread from
> 0 to 54. My floor has an open dinner invitation on Mondays to eat together
> in the dining room, no rsvp required. We take a head count when we are
> ready to sit down to determine what size table we need. The age range is
> such that I often feel like the child at the table. The 98 year old lady at
> the end of my hall is a real lady — full makeup and serious dress. Dramatic
> hair. She also keeps fresh flowers on the shelf at the end of the hall,
> like the ladies who contribute flowers perpetually to museums and the
> medians in wide avenues. She doesn’t eat desserts. At almost every meal she
> offers me her cookies as if I am her grandchild. Not to say that she treats
> me like a child, it just feels that way to me. The other people have also
> lived here 5-20 years so they also know much more than I do. It’s a whole
> new view of the world — instead of oldest at 83, I’m among the youngest.
>
> Sharon
> ----
> Sharon Villines
> Riderwood Village, Silver Spring MD
> Founding member for 25 years, Takoma Village, Washington DC
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> http://L.cohousing.org/info
>
>
>
>