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

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> 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