Elizabeth White is no stranger to taking difficult topics – the ones we usually hide from – and making them her mission. She’s currently on a path to reinvent senior living and transform it into a realm that’s affordable, beautiful, comfortable, and social in new ways. 

“I had been focusing my work on older adults and their finances. If you’re in your 60s and in good health, you have a good chance of living into your 90s,” she says, “and then it can become hard to afford your lifestyle. Housing is likely the single biggest expense.” That’s when she began to think about alternatives to living independently (at great expense) or the current lower-priced and bleak senior living options. Now, she’s on the cusp of pioneering a gorgeous new way to age in place with NUUAge Coliving – a coliving concept that blends privacy and community, refined design, and a genius price tag.

The Path to Advocacy

Elizabeth had been enjoying a successful career at the World Bank and owned her own home when a series of situations – including the Recession of 2008 – led to her struggling. She felt deeply rocked as her previous job and financial security disappeared. In 2016, she decided to shine a white-hot spotlight on this all-too-common scenario of feeling as if, with age, one can no longer maintain the past quality of life.

She published an article called “You Know Her,” revealing her new situation. She detailed what it was like not to be able to keep up with the Joneses and afford the dinners out, grocery hauls, manicures, and gym memberships that used to be no big deal.

“She detailed what it was like not to be able to keep up with the Joneses: Dinners out and manicures were no longer ‘no big deal’”

The article struck a chord – and then some. It resonated so deeply that Elizabeth became a public speaker, helping others understand the situation (whether they themselves or those in their circle might be experiencing it). With her growing audience, she wrote a book that she self-published; it outlines this scenario of midlife downward mobility and how to navigate it. So successful was it that Simon and Schuster then released it as 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal.

White’s influence grew as an activist aiming to enhance life for those who are aging and have limited financial resources. Suddenly, a new avenue opened up.

Time to Cook Up a New Idea

Elizabeth loves having a wide circle of friends of all ages, and a younger friend mentioned participating in a startup incubator. Hmm, she thought. “I was 68 at the time,” she recalls, “but I’d had my own business before – years ago, I founded a chain of Afrocentric lifestyle stores called Blackberry – and I thought, let me throw some spaghetti at the wall and see what I can come up with.”

That was not your run-of-the-mill spaghetti, apparently, because Elizabeth was accepted into the Ideas42 Venture Studio two years ago, which is an incubator program that funnels between $800,000 and $1 million in cash in kind to a business idea.

“Housing is a critical issue as you age – it’s expensive but vital for stability…what if older people could have housing together for less?”

The brainstorm came from Elizabeth looking and listening deeply, which is one of her superpowers. “I noticed as I spoke with people that housing is the critical issue as you age – it’s expensive but vital for stability. If older people could have housing together for less, they could likely make ends meet.” Elizabeth was inspired by what she saw surging in her homebase of Washington, D.C.: shared-living arrangements targeting Millennials or younger; those who wanted a digital-nomad lifestyle.

“My grandmother lived with us for 20-plus years when I was younger, but who today has room for Nana?” she asks pointedly.

The idea of NUUAge Living coalesced as Elizabeth hired architects and commissioned renderings, talked to developers, and attended a major coliving conference in Amsterdam. (Her coverage of the summit went viral on Instagram.) She assembled a team of experts in all aspects of aging, real estate, development, and coliving.

Senior Living: Welcome to the NUUAge

From this work came a prototype for a new way for elders to be housed. Elizabeth is adamant that this can’t be akin to a college-era dorm suite where noise levels and minimal space rule. Rather, there has to be a balance of private and shared space. Each unit has a large living space with a kitchen, where people can gather, have friends over, relax, and share a meal. Within this communal space, there are nooks where a resident can read or spend time on their laptop – away from their own private domain but tucked away. Think of it as a residential analog of going to a cafe to work with your earbuds in; you want the buzz of people around you while engaging in a solo pursuit.

In addition, each resident has their own living space which has a kitchenette and bathroom, so they aren’t forced to socialize if they’d rather have “me time” or entertain friends in private.

“What if we had a coliving space geared to older adults?” was her thesis. It wouldn’t be assisted living, but independent living for those who were aging alone, whether never married, widowed, or divorced and unable to manage the expense of their own place (or move in with family).  

“The renderings of her coliving concept show a tranquil, airy, light-infused space that could be a boutique hotel.”

Universal design – meaning details that suit people of all abilities, such as ramps versus steps where possible – is a cornerstone. “It will be seamless, not just a matter of grab bars everywhere,” she insists, and indeed, the renderings show what looks like a tranquil, airy, light-infused space that could be a boutique hotel.

Elizabeth has been gaining insight from her 40,000 highly engaged Instagram followers and learning what they’d love to have in this kind of housing.  She is now prepping for a round of meetings with developers to hopefully secure a partner who will build a few affordable NUUAge Coliving locations. She’s especially interested in the idea of perhaps having a few floors of coliving units mixed into a larger housing structure, encouraging intergenerational interactions. “Older people want to be in the mix,” she says, in addition to living well at a manageable cost. With her brilliant mission, they may get that wish.