WASHINGTON — In 2008, Bonnie Moore was going through a divorce.聽 And as she was adjusting to a one-income lifestyle, the recession hit and her five-bedroom, three-bathroom home lost half its value.
鈥淎ll of the money that I had put into remodeling just disappeared,鈥� Moore says. 鈥淚 had, what I considered, just a wonderful house that I could no longer afford 鈥� and I had to decide what to do. Do I just walk away from the house and go get an apartment some place or do I try to keep the house?鈥�
Moore, now 69, decided to keep the house 鈥� a resolution made possible by roommates. But she wasn鈥檛 open to finding just anyone.
鈥淚 decided that I wanted to live with women approximately my same age; I wanted to have that sense of camaraderie,鈥� she says.
Moore is not alone. In fact, she鈥檚 among a growing number of single seniors seeking companionship and an affordable living situation.
According to the Census Bureau鈥檚 2012 American Community Survey, the percentage of women 65 and older in 鈥渘onfamily households鈥� who choose not to live alone has grown to 3.8 percent, up from 2.96 percent, reports.
Part of the reason can be attributed to finances. Housing costs typically account for one-third of living expenses for adults 55 and older, The Times reports. found that only 16 percent of single seniors are economically secure.
Aside from finances, more seniors are looking to remain in a community setting as they age. A recent found that 71 percent of adults ages 50 to 64 want to continue to live in their communities; for adults 65 and older, that percentage jumps to 87 percent.
鈥淲hat I have really learned is there鈥檚 this huge market of middle-aged women who are by themselves when they were not expecting to be by themselves,鈥� Moore says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a loneliness factor and there鈥檚 a financial factor.鈥�
Moore shares her Bowie, Maryland, home with four other women, all between the ages of 52 and 69. And while they all get along as roommates, they don鈥檛 feel the need to spend every minute together. In fact, Moore says everyone in the home has active and busy lives. And aside from the impromptu morning and evening gatherings in the kitchen or around the TV, the women have to schedule time if they want to see each other.
鈥淚 come and go and so does everybody else. What we do try to do is get together once a month for dinner, and we really have to plan it so that everybody can be there,鈥� Moore says. 鈥淎nd it really makes a difference. We need to do that once in a while; we need to get together, sit down and eat and just chat and laugh and do whatever.鈥�
Everyone buys and cooks her own food, but Moore says there are always fun and unprompted moments in the kitchen 鈥� like a recent morning when the women were snowed in and decided to make waffles.
鈥淲e pulled out the Bisquick and somebody pulled out a waffle iron and someone else had some syrup and we sat down and made waffles and it was fun. So things kind of come together spontaneously.鈥�
For Moore, finding roommates didn鈥檛 just help her pay the mortgage on her house and offer her company, it opened up a business opportunity.
鈥淎fter a couple of years of doing this, you know, we were sitting around talking one time, and we realized that people kept asking us the question, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 it like to live with a bunch of women?鈥� We kind of jokingly said, 鈥榃e ought to go into business, advising women to do this because it really does solve a need for everybody.鈥欌��
And that is exactly what Moore did. After building a business plan and purchasing a website domain, she launched , an online platform for older adults looking for roommates, in June.
Moore says about 350 adults are registered on the national network, which allows users to create a profile and search for others who are also looking for a roommate. A six-month membership costs $39.
鈥淧eople are matching up and the idea of shared housing for older adults is catching on around the country. It鈥檚 really being viewed as one of the new options in aging in place,鈥� Moore says.
Of course going from living alone, or with a spouse, to living with adult roommates takes some adjusting, so Moore鈥檚 network also offers advice for others interested in a shared housing lifestyle. For starters, Moore says to know your 鈥渄eal-breakers,鈥� such as living with a smoker or living with pets. From there, she advises others to really focus on the personalities of their potential roommates. A person who is quiet and bookish might not mesh with a roommate who is outgoing and likes to chat all the time.
鈥淚t is a challenge, but it鈥檚 worth it. The companionship is worth it. One of the nicest things is just being able to go home and you walk in the door and someone says, 鈥楬i. How was your day?鈥� I鈥檝e got someone to talk to, and that becomes more and more important for people as they grow old.鈥�
And Moore hopes this lifestyle she has built is one she can maintain for years to come.
鈥淚鈥檝e got two people right now that I think will be here for a long time,鈥� Moore says. 鈥淲e might grow old together and that makes it nice.鈥�
