Early Retirement

I'm a university student who moved into a seniors' home in Calgary. I get affordable housing, and the residents get companionship.

- Shannon Penner

IN JANUARY OF 2024, midway through my third year as a psychology student at Mount Royal University in Calgary, I realized I needed a new place to live. I was going through a separation and paying $800 a month for a campus dorm room.

The situation wasn't ideal: I was 45, more than twice the age of most of my neighbours, and the noise coming through the thin walls was a near-constant distraction. But when I looked into nearby housing options, rents were easily more than double what I was already paying.

One day, I spotted an ad for a pilot project by the Canadian Alliance for Intergenerational Living, or CAIL, a Calgary-based nonprofit. It offered students affordable housing in vacant units at Silvera Westview Town Suites, a local retirement community, in exchange for 30 hours spent socializing with seniors or attending group events each month. I thought it was an innovative solution to two of Canada's most pressing crises: an aging, often isolated population and an unaffordable housing market.

I liked the idea of living with the seniors at Silvera. In my former job as a paramedic, I'd seen firsthand the challenges they faced when their health issues weren't properly managed. In response, I'd started a side business teaching fitness classes for older adults who wanted to stay mobile. The financial relief was an undeniable draw, too: subsidized through the government-funded CAIL pilot, my room would cost only $530 a month, and Silvera was just a short walk from campus. Last winter, I applied.

The screening process for the program was similar to a job application: CAIL staff interviewed me several times to assess my suitability. During those conversations, I offered to lead fitness classes and facilitate group workshops. In the spring, I was accepted as a participant and, by the end of August, I was one of Silvera's 1,800 residents.