La Casa, a benchmark for shared housing in France, opens its first co-living space for independent seniors.
Paris, May 11, 2023 - La Casa opens its first Grande Casa, a shared housing for independent seniors who wish to live in a community and enjoy their retirement in a fulfilling environment, while preserving their independence.
In summary:
• La Casa has opened its first Grande Casa, a shared living space for independent elderly people who wish to live in a community and enjoy their retirement in a fulfilling environment while maintaining their independence.
• Located in the downtown area of Alfortville (94), this 400m2 property has just welcomed its first two inhabitants.
• This human-sized shared living project contributes to the development of social bonds, a core element of La Casa's DNA since its launch in 2017.
A shared living space perfectly suited to independent elderly people.
Specializing in shared living spaces for young professionals, La Casa addresses a social need that traditional housing no longer meets: offering new ways of living through sustainable housing that fosters social connections. With 30 houses hosting over 400 housemates, La Casa continues its expansion and becomes one of the leading coliving entities to consider a service tailored for the elderly. Through the opening of its first Grande Casa, it now offers a shared living space perfectly suited to their needs.
While 80% of French people claim they do not wish to live in a retirement home*, this new residential offer emerges as an alternative solution promoting the independence of the elderly, social connections, and their ability to remain at home. Indeed, being the most affected by loneliness and the feeling of isolation - 50% of those over 75 no longer have an active friend network2 - an increasing number of them wish to live surrounded by others. However, France currently only has 5,000 places in shared housing... with the needs estimated at 150,000 places by 2030.
"We are delighted to actively participate in this necessary transition of housing to adapt to societal changes. The opening of this first Grande Casa for the elderly will reinforce the concept of living together. We will support them in a new chapter of their life, synonymous with conviviality, freedom, and serenity. The main goal is to allow them to maintain their independence while enjoying the benefits of community life. A second Grande Casa, located in Rosny-sous-Bois (93), will open its doors in the summer of 2023, and we plan to continue expanding this offer in the Parisian suburbs and also regionally," states Victor Augais, founder and CEO of La Casa.
A shared house to live at home without being alone
The Grande Casa is a living space designed for its inhabitants. Indeed, all conditions are met to create a positive community, with the possibility of "living at home without being alone." For this, La Casa has deployed tailor-made support from the application phase to join a Grande Casa. Personalized interviews are organized to discover the profiles of future inhabitants, understand their needs, expectations, and fears. House tours and discovery stays are offered to candidates to test the experience of life within a Grande Casa. It also allows the community to self-build and select its future housemates based on a co-optation model.
Located in Alfortville at the heart of the city, the first Grande Casa is a 400 m2 property. It has 8 bedrooms ranging from 20 to 30 m2 with adapted and private bathrooms, and friendly common areas. A large kitchen open to the dining room is available to the inhabitants, as well as a library and outdoor spaces. Renovated according to a preventive approach (elevator, reversible heat pumps, access ramps...), everything in the house is designed to promote the independence and safety of the housemates. The presence of a home help within the Grande Casa aims to best support the inhabitants in organizing their daily life: help with meal preparation, cleaning of shared spaces, maintenance of the house and garden, administrative assistance.
The full board cost within a Grande Casa is about 2200 euros per month (out-of-pocket expense), which is nearly 1000 euros less than a senior service residence with equivalent services.
Convinced of the importance of creating intergenerational exchanges, La Casa plans to regularly organize events that bring together its housemates, both elderly and young professionals. This provides an additional opportunity to strengthen social bonds and reinvent a collective...
For more information about the Grande Casa in Alfortville:
¹Etude Credoc - 2018
²Rapport Fondation of France - 2020
³Collectif des « 150 000 en 2030 »
About La Casa
Founded in 2017 by Victor Augais, the current CEO, La Casa is the benchmark for shared living in France. Convinced that happiness is found in the company of others, La Casa promotes the creation of social bonds in large cities by developing communities within large shared living spaces. La Casa thus manages about thirty large houses in the Parisian suburbs and near public transport, which it outfits to facilitate good communal living while preserving the privacy of each individual. In addition to many services included in the offer (cleaning, internet, maintenance), the housemates benefit from a unique community living experience (co-option of candidates by the housemates, monthly events, etc.). With its success, La Casa extends its shared living offer to autonomous seniors, launching the Grandes Casas.
Contacts presse :
Enderby
Edith Maviel – ema@enderby.fr / 07 64 89 59 74
Eléna Piéto – epi@enderby.fr / 07 61 26 53 29
