“I see multigenerational living as one of the most compelling solutions to our elder care and affordable housing crises,” Juli Ford said

NEED TO KNOW

• Juli Ford bought a 4,300-square-foot home in 2015 to live with her mother and children, who were 10 and 11 at the time
• Her mother contributed financially to the home and lives in a private basement apartment with its own amenities
• Juli said she views “multigenerational living” as a compelling solution to “our elder care and affordable housing crises”

When Juli Ford purchased a new house in Pembroke, Mass., she never expected that the family's three generations would be under one roof.

Juli, 57, grew up in South Plymouth and told Business Insider that she and her kids would always visit her parents on Wednesdays, dubbing it “Grammy and Grampy Day.” Then, her father first got sick in 2005, and by 2011, he “didn't have much time left.”

Around that time, Juli and her mother began discussing where she would live after he died.

"When he [died] in December 2011, my mom was not ready to live with us. At 68, she had never lived on her own. She'd been with my dad since she was 15," Juli said.

Four years later, Juli's mother decided to move into a new home that Juli found. The property is 4,300 square feet with an 800-square-foot basement. On the upper level, there are 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.

"My mom fell in love with the home's basement apartment," Juli told Business Insider. "It's full of beautiful natural light. It's one bedroom with a den, a full kitchen, a fireplace, its own laundry, 1.5 baths, its own outdoor patio and two entrances."

Juli purchased the house for $630,000 in April 2015. Her mother made a "financial contribution" toward the down payment, and she chips in for the utilities.

"She essentially has not had to pay rent for 10 years, and as the house gets older, the cost of maintaining it grows," Juli explained.

Her mother also helped out watching Juli's children, who were 10 and 11 when their grandmother first moved in. The kids are now 20 and 22. Their grandmother was their English teacher during their homeschooling.

Juli's mother is now 82 and has "health issues" that make her "a bit less independent," but they’re still making the arrangement work.

Juli told Business Insider that "I cannot imagine how much harder it would be to be a daughter of an aging mom if we weren't in the same house. I would be so much more concerned about her being alone and getting lonelier. It would be more time-consuming for me if I had to go somewhere else to support her."

There have been a few "medical emergencies" with Juli's mom, so she keeps a phone close while she sleeps.

As for the overall living situation, the family tries to give each other "privacy," just like a standard roommate would. They lean on each other when times get tough, but they also have their alone time.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Juli added, "I see multigenerational living as one of the most compelling solutions to our elder care and affordable housing crises. Bringing families together around this is really an underutilized solution."

Source link