At 22 I get cheaper rent living with older people

By the Editorial Team · Monday, July 6, 2026

Phoenix Community Housing and Goldsmiths, University of London have launched an intergenerational housing project in Lewisham that offers affordable homes to older adults alongside subsidized flats for students who engage with their neighbors through regular social activities. This innovative living model addresses both London's housing affordability crisis and the problem of social isolation among older residents, presenting a potential blueprint for fostering community and reducing loneliness in urban areas.

A new intergenerational housing scheme in Lewisham, southeast London, is offering an alternative model for addressing both housing affordability and social isolation in the city. The development, managed by Phoenix Community Housing in partnership with Goldsmiths, University of London, brings together university students and older residents aged 55 and over in a shared living environment designed to foster community connections.

The scheme includes 30 affordable homes for older tenants, many of whom are retired, alongside two four-bedroom flats allocated to Goldsmiths students. Rent for student tenants is reduced through a means-tested scholarship program, with the aim of supporting those from lower-income backgrounds. In exchange for the lower rent, students commit to a year-long tenancy and agree to spend at least four hours per month engaging with their older neighbours through communal activities and social interaction.

One participating student, 22-year-old PhD candidate in music and education, described the living arrangement as providing more than just financial relief from London’s high rents. She noted the unexpected value of daily interactions with residents, which have enriched her academic research by offering personal historical accounts of the Lewisham area not captured in formal archives. The development’s design encourages spontaneous connections, with balconies facing a central courtyard and common spaces such as a community garden room where residents regularly meet.

While the building enforces quiet hours and a more orderly atmosphere compared to typical student housing, the student praised the arrangement for prompting personal growth and a sense of belonging often missing in contemporary urban living. The scheme counters the trend of isolated housing developments where neighbors rarely interact, addressing not only the city’s housing shortage but also the widespread issue of loneliness among older adults. According to Age UK, one in ten older Londoners experiences loneliness, a challenge the initiative aims to tackle alongside affordability.

The model draws inspiration from similar intergenerational housing projects in countries like the Netherlands and Denmark, where co-living arrangements across age groups are more common. Advocates argue that such developments offer a practical solution to overlapping social problems, combining affordable housing with meaningful community ties.

As London continues to face a housing crisis and social fragmentation, the Lewisham project raises questions about why intergenerational living is not being scaled up more broadly. Proponents suggest that replicating this model could simultaneously alleviate financial pressures on younger residents, combat social isolation among older adults, and foster stronger community cohesion in dense urban environments.

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