Residents of Takoma Village Cohousing in Washington, D.C., gather for a cookout on their central patio. The multi-generational community blends private housing with shared meals and events, enabling older adults and young families to support each other in a small-town-like setting. Photo by Alicia George

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Remember television’s “Cheers,” the bar where everybody knew your name? What if you lived in an entire community where everyone knew your name? That’s one of the principles behind the growing interest in a concept known as cohousing.

Cohousing was pioneered in Denmark in the early 70s to foster close ties among families with children who would support and connect with each other throughout the phases of life.

In 1988, architects Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett introduced the term to North America in a book they published after visiting several such communities.

In Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves, the husband-and-wife team defined cohousing as an “intentional community” in which residents help organize and participate in the planning and design of a housing development, and are responsible as a group for final decisions.

Later, the couple wrote a handbook on senior cohousing, showing how the concept could become a solution to the challenges of isolation among older adults.

“The senior cohousing concept re-establishes many of the advantages of traditional villages within the context of 21st-century life,” Durrett wrote in The Senior Cohousing Handbook.

In a cohousing community, private homes are strategically situated around a common area so that neighbors have more opportunities for social interaction, thereby minimizing the isolation many older adults experience.

While each family generally lives independently in their own home, a common house may be used for meals that are shared on a regular basis.

However, residents in cohousing communities have their own primary incomes, and the community does not generate any income of its own.

Developing cohousing locally

In Baltimore, plans have been under way for the past five years to establish a cohousing community for older adults.

“More and more people are excited about the prospect,” said Mike Dennis, speaking for Cohousing of Greater Baltimore (CGB), which currently has 20 members who are part of the organizational process.

“We started Cohousing of Greater Baltimore to develop a community focused on the needs of older people, and to enhance our social connections and support base as we age,” said Dennis. The group’s current plan is to remain somewhat flexible in making room for younger families or individuals, he added.

The biggest challenge in getting the project off the ground, according to Dennis, is finding a suitable site within Baltimore City or County.

“In this area, there isn’t much available land.” The group is looking for four to five acres in a safe location for the construction of individual homes (or a multi-unit dwelling, depending on space available) and common facilities.

While the search for the right-sized property and a developer continues, Dennis’ group continues to meet and pursue its mission to create an alternative to traditional aging options.

The goal is to provide affordable housing for those with limited financial resources, with three or four styles and sizes of homes that will meet a variety of needs. They hope they’ll be able to establish such a community within the next two or three years.

Cohousing communities can be as small as eight to 10 households or as large as 60 or more individual dwellings. CGB is hoping to limit its size to 25 to 30 households.

Other communities nearby

Only 13 senior cohousing communities exist in the country, but a dozen more are being formed, according to the Cohousing Association of the United States.

So far, several cohousing communities have taken root in Maryland, including Liberty Village, a multigenerational community in Frederick, and Eastern Village Cohousing, another multigenerational community in Silver Spring.

In Washington, D.C., Takoma Village Cohousing was established two decades ago and is open to all ages. The closest senior cohousing is in Shepherdstown, W. Va., at Shepherd Village.

With one-quarter of older Americans having no spouse, significant other, children or other support system nearby, experts are paying increasing attention to how we will take care of ourselves during the period of life between healthy aging and the end of life.

Ann Zabaldo is one of the original residents of Takoma Village Cohousing, which welcomed its first residents in 2000. She is enthusiastic about her community.

“Where else could I live where everybody knows my name and I know everybody else, even down to their extended family and their pets? We have very strong social connections and bonds. What a way to live!”

Zabaldo is also a member of the Board of Directors of Mid-Atlantic Cohousing and a principal in Cohousing Collaborative, LLC.

Cohousing of Greater Baltimore meets twice a month, and guests who are interested in learning more about cohousing in general, and plans for a Baltimore community in particular, are invited to attend meetings on the third Sunday of each month at Grace United Methodist Church, 5407 N. Charles St. Guest orientation is held from 5 to 6 p.m., with a business meeting following.

For more information on cohousing in the Mid-Atlantic region, visit www.baltimoreseniorcohousing.org and www.midatlanticcohousing.org.