US students are cutting their rent by two-thirds by living among retirees
A growing number of American college students are renting apartments inside senior living communities, paying roughly a third of local market rent in exchange for eight hours a week spent with older residents.
Daija Holliday, a 25-year-old student from North Carolina, relocated to Milwaukee to attend Marquette University while finding affordable housing among a community of retirees at St. Camillus Life Plan Community. Holliday currently resides in an independent apartment at the Wauwatosa suburb and pays around $500 monthly for her stay.
In exchange, she volunteers by socializing with residents, running errands, leading fitness classes, and organizing game nights. Holliday fondly describes her experience as akin to living with family, emphasizing the sense of security she feels.
Marquette University initiated the Students in Residence program in 2022, which places five students at St. Camillus this fall. Shojin Samson, a 23-year-old Indian student pursuing crime analysis, likened St. Camillus to a mixed-generational community he was familiar with before moving to the U.S. Stacy Barnes, director of the Wisconsin Geriatric Education Center and the program's founder, explained that the selection process prioritizes maturity and genuine social interaction, rather than merely seeking cheap rent.
Students are granted access to campus amenities like a gym, swimming pool, movie theater, restaurants, lounges, and a pub. Additionally, they receive a monthly restaurant credit to encourage dining with residents.
This living model is gaining traction as America grapples with affordable housing shortages and the loneliness epidemic. Jennifer Molinsky, director of the Housing an Aging Society Program at Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, stated that housing the two groups together combats stereotypes and injects vitality and skills that otherwise might be lacking.
The program at Marquette was inspired by Humanitas, a Dutch care home that has been accommodating students since 2012, providing them with rent-free apartments in exchange for at least 30 hours of monthly community service. Similarly, St. Olaf College in Minnesota introduced permanent housing for students in retirement-community townhouses during the 2024-2025 academic year, initially as a temporary solution during dormitory renovations.
Judson Manor, a senior living campus in Cleveland, has been hosting music students as artists in residence since 2010, offering them free room and board in exchange for performances, errands, and interpersonal interaction with neighbors.
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