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Roommates Forever? Seniors Seeking Shares on the Rise


By

John Del Signore

Published Apr 14, 2009

Modified Apr 14, 2009


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By

John Del Signore

Published Apr 14, 2009

Modified Apr 14, 2009


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Like other expensive American cities, New York seems to be home to a higher proportion of post-graduate adult roommates than suburban areas. In NYC, sharing a home with a stranger or friend is seen not so much as a sign of utter incompetence as it is a consequence of the obscene rental market, which has compelled people to share for far longer than they had ever anticipated. Who among us has not inserted earplugs to drown out the sounds of roommate fornication, while dreaming of liberation from cohabitation? However, judging by the increasing numbers of elderly people looking for roommates, that dream may be considerably deferred. According to City Room, a home sharing program run by the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens has been inundated with elderly applicants seeking apartment shares because of lost jobs or rent increases. Of course, the silver lining, should you find yourself trolling Craigslist for shares in your golden years, is that you'll probably be so hard of hearing you won't even notice your roommate's drum and bass marathons.

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new york

nyc

roommates


John Del Signore

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Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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