The co-ownership movement is small but, as we’ve covered, it is gaining momentum. GoCo has worked with numerous groups and clients who have embraced a new means of house ownership and helped facilitate their own intentional communities. But GoCo didn’t invent co-ownership in housing. Before Lesli and her team were tirelessly working with groups around the GTA, co-ownership and cohousing arrangements were already being done. Today we wanted to talk about a lovely woman we interviewed who embraced a new model of housing ownership. Julia* told us her story of how she embraced a new way of home ownership in Toronto.
Julia’s story began not unlike many Canadians in that she emigrated from Europe to begin a new life. Though married for 9 years with 3 children, Julia made the difficult decision to leave her husband for the benefit of herself and her children. Being a single parent with 3 children wasn’t easy. Pay equity for women at the time was essentially non-existent and Julia, as an immigrant, was on a very low income already. She had to work 2-3 jobs at any time to support herself and her children. A tough time for her indeed but she was strong and determined. She went back to school, getting her degree at university and several other certifications so that she could get ahead.
Living in London, ON at the time, Julia bought her first house. It was a small fixer-upper. She sold it after fixing it up and renovating it for a small profit. She did this a few times until she received a job opportunity in Toronto. Rather than move to Toronto, Julia accepted the job and moved to Pickering. Not only was it more affordable it was also better for her kids to allow them to adjust to big city life. While working in Toronto, Julia also got involved in volunteering and medical care. This led to her building and fostering a beautiful friendship with Marie and her husband. When Marie’s husband fell ill, he made Julia promise to look after Marie when he was gone. It wasn’t even a question for Julia. They were friends, of course she would look after Marie. Once Marie’s husband passed away, the burden of upkeep and living alone in their house became a struggle. Julia helped out but it wasn’t enough for Marie to keep going like this as she aged. That’s when she offered Julia to buy her house.
Julia wanted to live in Toronto. She would be close to her daughter and her commute would be significantly easier. But Toronto was so expensive with her income. It just wasn’t feasible on a single income for her to entertain the idea of owning a house in Toronto. She wanted to help Marie but the burden alone would be too much for Julia. Marie didn’t give up. She offered again but with a slightly different proposal. Julia would buy the house from Marie on the condition that Marie could continue living there as well as subsidizing utilities and living expenses. This changed things. Julia agreed.
It wasn’t a smooth process. Marie’s lawyer questioned Julia’s intentions. He was uncertain of Marie’s cognitive decision-making and had to make sure she was choosing to make the decision and was fully able to do so. Julia didn’t take it personally. He was only looking out for his client. Once they had established Marie’s condition was sufficient and she was freely making the choice to sell Julia her home, the actual sale of the home was quite smooth. For Marie, a nursing home or long-term care facility was out of the question. She wanted to age comfortably with the care and socialisation that she needed. Selling her home to Julia in exchange for care and a place to live was the most beneficial option for herself. And for Julia, there was no other way she was going to afford a house in Toronto with her sole income.
Julia bought Marie’s house and began living with and caring for Marie. It isn’t always easy and sometimes there are disagreements but as long as the positive times outnumber the negative times, the arrangement works. Julia renovated the basement and built her own living suite there as well as renovating the backyard to entertain guests. Renovations were made as Marie aged so that her mobility issues wouldn’t interfere with her life.
Julia continues to live with Marie, caring for her and allowing her to age comfortably. It’s not an arrangement that suits everybody, Julia told us. It takes a special relationship and a special person to make it work. You have to know what you’re getting yourself into. Everyone needs their own space and stability but you’re always able to come together.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, loneliness and isolation is a huge problem, particularly with our seniors. If more people would be able to enter an arrangement like Julia’s, then many would avoid the long-term care facilities and would be able to age-in-place. It would be far more beneficial for them socially, emotionally, mentally and, of course, physically. For both Julia and Marie, this arrangement has been astronomical beneficial for both of them. It is something that Julia hopes that more people will adopt in the near future.
* Names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.