In the 70s, I played with the idea of moving with my young family into a rural commune. Those early fantasies, never acted on, may be the reason I was fascinated by the experience of three self-described "fifty-something boomers," who established an experiment in cooperative householding twelve years ago and wrote about it in their book, My House Our House. Louis Tenenbaum, founder of the Aging in Place Institute, writes in the forward "their book is a template for a good process."

The authors, Karen M. Bush, Louise S. Machinist, and Jean McQuillin, write engagingly and honestly about their experience of transition, from living alone to living together. The title of one chapter, "What We've Learned about Sharing from Sharing" communicates exactly how they went about this process; they learned by doing, they made their path by walking.

They knew each other to begin with, though they were not intimate friends. In retrospect, their chapter, "Serious Business: Money Mortgages and More" is a cautionary tale about not moving precipitously and carefully selecting advisers (I kept thinking about the Village's vetting process) and about sharing information lavishly.

They drew up a general partnership agreement addressing the concerns each one had about entering into such an arrangement. It covers a lot of ground, but they are quite adamant that you need to do this for yourself, for your state, for your community, for your expectations, for your values. Still, it is a template.

The way they addressed interpersonal issues, with awareness, courage and humor is the heart of the book: How to provide for common space and privacy; how to balance independence with a willingness to help (when asked); how to merge the stuff from three different households; how to decide these things: by consensus, by voting, by wrestling it to the ground. Click here to read more.

Click here to see a brief video of the authors talking about their experience. 

There are many reasons why people choose to downsize. Sometimes it's because of physical challenges or budget limitations - and sometimes it's for the sheer relief of getting rid of all that "stuff" or to start fresh with a clean palette. Some Village members were queried about their experiences with downsizing and here is what they said.

Madeline and Peter Brownstone

Madeline and Peter Brownstone moved to Chicago from Queens, New York in 2012 to be close to their daughters and  grandchildren. They downsized and consolidated into a 2-bedroom at Fullerton and Lakeview. "The view is just what we'd been looking for," Madeline recalls. A year later the Brownstones joined the Village. "Again, it was just what we were looking for."

"Before we left, we used an app called Floorplanner to make a floor plan of our Chicago apartment and realized we'd have to leave behind several pieces of furniture that we loved but that didn't fit so we had garage sales and sold furniture on Craigslist."

A major problem still is what to do with thousands of books and mementos. They'd given away 30 boxes of books before the move and thought that would be enough. "Now we're going through another cleansing. Do we want to keep tchotchkes and books just because they bring back memories?" Madeline asks. But she's found a solution. "I've decided to create photos of my mementos and write about the memories that they hold before we give them away. I've settled in. I know now what to get rid of, because I know what my life is like and what I need to have around me."

For others who are facing these downsizing decisions, Peter Brownstone advises, "Don't try to do it all yourself. Ask for help from friends and family. We're grateful for the advice we're getting from Village members Biba and Peter Roesch, who live nearby. They're helping us create a more modern and peaceful environment." (In exchange, Madeline is helping Biba become more at home with her new iPad!)

Never daunted Sharon asked if she could tear down many of the existing walls in the apartment she wanted.  The Clare suggested contractors, Sharon signed the papers and demolition began.

Housing that's subsidized by the government or by private charities is an option for those who need housing assistance.

Carole Howard

Carole suffers from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple chemical sensitivities. For the last four years, she has lived at the Margaret Day Blake Apartments on North Clark Street, an 8-story subsidized housing unit for seniors that's managed by the Chicago Housing Authority.

Carole has a small one-bedroom but has no external storage. Rents depend on residents' income - in most cases, it's one-third of their income adjusted for out-of-pocket medical expenses. Building amenities include a community room for meetings and entertainment, an adjacent parking lot for residents and their visitors, 24-hour security and an on-site manager.

"It was devastating when I found out I couldn't bring all the belongings from my previous residence," says Carole. "I had to buy new smaller furniture for the living room and bedroom. On the other hand, I do have friends in the building. And I appreciate the great location near the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Conservatory, the access to three different bus lines, and the parkway surrounding the building where we can sit outside in the nice weather. But more important, I became a member of Lincoln Park Village as soon as I moved here and the social connection and help I have received from the Village have made all the difference."

Catherine Rategan

As a contribution to this article I can also share my own experience with subsidized housing. After open-heart surgery followed by a business downturn, I needed to restrict my expenses. I leased out my 2-bedroom 2-bath Sandburg condo and moved to a nearby rental building, Maple Pointe. It is a 20-story independent living facility managed by Urban Innovations. Residence is restricted to those with a limited income who are over 55 or who have a disability.

The rents are affordable, and the apartments are all alike - small one-bedroom places with floor-to-ceiling windows and a stand-up kitchen. There's a 24-hour security desk, and many of the apartments face south and offer views of downtown and some of Chicago's most spectacular high-rise buildings, such as the Hancock Center, Willis Tower and Trump Tower.

Living with neighbors in various stages of aging is a good incentive for me to keep exercising, and I'm grateful for the great location and the affordable rents.

Read more about Maple Pointe here. 

To read more about qualifying for subsidized housing, click here. 

Resources for Help for Downsizing

When it's time for you to downsize, you need to ask yourself:

- where do I want to live?

- how much can I afford to pay?

- what amenities must I have?

- where can I turn for help?

Village members can be connected to individuals who help with these tasks associated with downsizing:

• Paperwork organizing service
• Removal of records from deep storage for shredding
• De-clutting and organizing
• Packing and unpacking
• Home staging for living, selling, interior design, re-design and organizing
• Assistance with donation or resale of unwanted items
• Preparing for a move
• Move management
• New home set-up
• Organizing work spaces

V. Staying Put

Staying Put - The Village Founders Reflect on Their Decision

by Marjorie Freed

Now that the Village is about to celebrate its fifth anniversary, the three founding couples have been involved with the Village  concept for virtually seven years and their idea worked. With the help of the Village they created, they were all able to stay put. The six founders range in age from 78 to 85 and true to form, they are still planning for the future.

Jim Zartman

A house is good. Fifty four years in the same house makes it feel like home. I'm a homebody and intend to stay.

A house holds memories. There's blood, sweat and tears invested in a house: history writ in bricks and mortar.

A house takes maintenance. It has to be painted and caulked, washed and pointed, scraped and sanded, shoveled and mowed. Those are all good things to do -- they're active and useful, keep you healthy, instill a sense of pride,

I like my house. The Zartman family grandfather clock from Lancaster County, PA, almost 200 years old, and keeping perfect time (it is wound every Monday morning); the stained glass windows; the solid cherry banisters. Mounting three flights of stairs from basement to third floor keeps me young. Having a house to care for will help me live longer e.g., my back porch - screened in summer, paned in winter. It takes a lot of maintenance. I love it. It's indoors outdoors.

So - the Admiral, Mather, Westminster Place - they're all very nice BUT they're too easy and everybody there is old. Kathy and I and our house on Belden are all I need of old.

Kathy Zartman

We've spent 54 happy years in our house on Belden. For about a year prior to beginning to think about the Village we, and our close friends the Spocks, visited several continuing care communities with a wide variety of offerings including both good and bad meals. The Village is a product of the Founders thinking of alternatives that can make staying put more feasible.

At present we can manage it satisfactorily ourselves by using and appreciating the Village and its resources. I've noted that natural aging leads to a dramatic change in energy level. Jim and I differ on the subject of moving. I fantasize about the joys of smaller living quarters and fine meals prepared by others. Enforced downsizing is appealing. Pruning away the excess of belongings is easier to do while healthy. (I've another fantasy of renting our house for a year and returning with much less.)

I want to be in a place with energy and our present neighborhood is perfect. But I consider The Admiral a good alternative. It has a good working relationship with the Village and a nucleus of my friends live there already. I am confident we could remain active in the Village from The Admiral.

Judy and Mike Spock

We love our recently 'Landmarked' house. It was built in 1891, as a 'workingman's cottage' for a barrelmaker, Joseph Schnitzius and his wife and eight children. Some of the Schnitzius' grandchildren, our age now, came by to reminisce in the house. With a 'Queen Anne' front, and a 'Mary Ann' behind, (a joke of the day), most of it is genuinely 'dated': stairs, large windows (one stained glass), a classic terra cotta frieze.

We do have enough room for our lives as they are, and appreciate that, though we are considering modifications as our needs change. For safety, Mike has added teak 'boating handholds' to our interior stairs and we also have plans to possibly insulate our present back porch, creating interior studio space, a small deck, and new stairs through the green yard to the present two-car, brick garage. We also consider further adapting the basement guest rooms into an apartment.

Our children understand our wish to remain here but they have asked us to decide on a Plan B, just in case. We have no illusions about hanging around long enough to see every possible improvement, but we do think the house is adaptable to more than one kind of lifestyle...over several more years, if we're lucky!

Marjorie Freed

Time and age are conspiring to change our lifestyle. We knew when the Village began that remaining in our home was going to be a challenge - that's why we did it.

The truth is I rarely visit the third floor of the vintage townhouse that I used to check out weekly. We do use our stairs and consider them a boon for maintaining mobility.  

Village resources have helped us with the garden and occasional light bulbs and some heavy lifting as needed. Some of these tasks were formerly done by Harvey so we are both grateful for this crucial assistance. Harvey found a trainer via the Spocks and the Village and we consistently use the Village for rides.

Friends and I have found that Dianne Campbell is extraordinarily resourceful with members' widely varying issues, sometimes "firsts" for the Village. Her staff is consistently and pleasantly on the job as well.

I've noted that some people may at first hesitate to ask for help but once they've made a connection their eyes open to a range of other possibilities.

Harvey Freed

I love our house. We've had a 100 acre farm, a house on Sedgwick, two houses in Santa Fe and two in Michigan. I like this house best of all. We've raised our 2 sons here and they both love it as do their wives and children. Our small family gathers here every Thanksgiving. Our grandsons especially value our proximity to Allende on Lincoln just north of Fullerton, making pilgrimages there even when they arrive from the airport at 2:00 AM.

Our neighborhood with its group of 55 townhomes is a special place. At first I worried that it would be too incestuous but I was wrong. Especially in the last seven years, friendships and relationships among our neighbors have formed some of the core of Lincoln Park Village.

I love our house. So many memories. Our art collection, the many special touches Marjorie has added, the dinner parties, political events, my current affairs discussion group that has been meeting here intermittently since the late 70's. Am I a dreamer? I hope not. I hope I never have to leave this house and that if necessary we'll be able to make the requisite alterations to enable us to stay here as long as possible.

Affordable Housing for LGBTQ Seniors Will Allow Them to Stay in the Neighborhood

Construction of an affordable housing development designed to welcome LGBTQ seniors will get underway soon on the site of a historical police station in Lake View. The $26 million project entails rehabbing the old Town Hall station on the northwest corner of Addison and Halsted, and building a six-story, 79-unit apartment building north of it, where defunct police garages now stand. It's a joint effort of the Center on Halsted, whose main facility is at the north end of the same block, and Heartland Housing, a longtime developer of affordable homes. The Village has recently formed a strategic partnership with the Center on Halsted and we look forward to developing programs with them.