In the face of a housing crisis, two post-secondary students in Calgary have found a unique and affordable housing solution: moving into a local retirement home. As part of a new intergenerational pilot program, Mary Shakir and Shannon Penner will reside at Silvera’s retirement home, contributing 30 hours of volunteering per month in exchange for a private room and dining privileges at a cost of just $500 monthly.
Shakir, a Pharmacy Technician student, expressed her gratitude for the program, stating, “It is amazing for a student like myself — especially with the housing crisis which now is increasing. The rent is so expensive.”
Penner, who is finishing a psychology degree this fall, echoed Shakir’s sentiments, saying, “It’ll be around $1,000 to $1,500 a month I will be saving.”
For the seniors at Silvera’s, the program offers companionship and a sense of purpose. Phyllis Massier, a 95-year-old resident, said, “The people are all very friendly and, I don’t know, we are just like a big family, really.”
The pilot program is funded by a $25,000 grant from the federal government and is part of a larger movement towards intergenerational living in Canada. The program aims to address the housing affordability crisis for students while also combating social isolation among seniors.
Bonita Paquette, founder of the Canadian Alliance for Intergenerational Living, believes that the program could become a model for future affordable housing initiatives. “The idea is to have intergenerational living become normal thing in Canada,” she said. “It really isn’t the norm here. In other countries they have been doing this for many years. The Netherlands, France, even the U.S., has been doing this since 2010.”
With the success of the pilot program, the hope is that it will become a permanent fixture in Calgary and inspire similar programs across the country, fostering stronger connections between different generations.
