Shared Housing, Self-Determined Lives programme

Older people are showing increasing interest in new forms of shared housing – living both with peers and also with younger people in multi-generation homes. Since late 2015, the “Gemeinschaftlich wohnen, selbstbestimmt leben” (Shared Housing, Self-Determined Lives) pilot programme has promoted selected housing projects that serve as best-practice examples and foster replication. The project developers range from private building consortia to housing companies, associations and municipal authorities who all design and implement model projects to provide shared housing in various forms. The model projects take varied approaches depending on the specific area of focus. One such area of focus concentrates on forms of shared housing that permit independent and self-determined lifestyles, especially for residents who are either old or very old. Another concentrates on housing projects geared to older people with low incomes and a resident mix of people from differing generations and social groups.

The model programme places particular importance on establishing close links between the housing projects and the local community and environment. The idea is to ensure that the projects enhance quality of life in the respective municipalities, urban neighbourhoods and rural areas – and that the projects themselves benefit in return, thus improving prevailing conditions to enable longer, self-determined lives for the people living there.