Do you want to share housing but find the transition scary? We often live in shared housing when we are single: college, roommates in camp, at conferences, during our early careers. Living with housemates as we age is no different. Annamarie Pluhar, 70, is a well-spoken advocate for shared housing and offers valuable ways of thinking to simplify the process.

After receiving her Masters in Divinity, then working in a corporation, facilitating large groups, Annamarie started a non-profit to promote the importance of shared housing. She consults with organizations, housing professionals, the aging network and local officials who are seeking to develop shared housing in their communities. The twin crises of high housing costs and an increase in social isolation combine to render cooperative living arrangements an excellent solution.

"Housemates are not the same as roommates."

By providing education, advocacy, and model development she empowers individuals to choose, create and sustain shared housing. She envisions a world in which sharing housing is a commonly accepted living arrangement and individuals feel happy, safe and at peace with home-mates.One idea—a building for seniors with 4 bedroom suites for 3 people. The extra suite might be for guests or caretakers. Everyone shares the kitchen and living space.

Last summer (2023) Annamarie lost her partner of 23 years and is currently renovating her home to make it more comfortable for sharing. She lives in southern Vermont.

Connect with Annamarie:

Book: Sharing Housing: A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates

Website: sharinghousing.com

Email: annamarie@sharinghousing.org

Mary Mitchell, age 74, sheds light on aging and ageism in her occasional column for the Chicago Sun Times, Starting Over. Mary ‘started over’ five years ago when she switched her journalistic authority on race relations in Chicago to concentrate on matters of growing older. She advocates that longevity is a blessing and aging offers an opportunity to do well at

something else. Mary’s guiding tenets are always equity and fairness when dealing with social isms. When we are equitable and fair, Mary says, “we are doing the best we can.”

" I give people platforms to tell their own stories, share their wisdom, and increase awareness of social justice issues."

Connect with Mary

Email: mmitchell@suntimes.com

https://chicago.suntimes.com/starting-over

Ann Anderson Evans, age 82, lives in Vermont. She is a writer, linguist, and former professor. Her first memoir, Daring to Date Again (2014), which tells the story of what happened after she started dating at 62, won multiple prizes. Her sequel The Sweet Pain of Being Alive: A Memoir of Love and Death (Jan. 2024), narrates her attempt to find out why, after 13 happily married years, her husband killed himself. Her questions about his gender dsyphoria and suicide remain largely unanswered. Ann tries to heed the wisdom of the Buddhist saying, “You can’t change the past, the future hasn’t happened yet, so pay close attention to today.” The questions and answers have continued to unfold.

Through contemplation about loss, aging, and evolving, I realize every day is an adventure; we must be willing to deal with whatever comes.

Connect with Ann

Email: ann@annandersonevans.com

Website: https://annandersonevans.com