The Village Movement: ageing at home, surrounded by a community that organises itself

In 2002, a group of residents in the Beacon Hill neighbourhood of Boston asked a simple question: how do you age at home, without depending solely on family or institutions? Their answer founded the Village Movement.

The principle: members contribute to a neighbourhood “village” that coordinates services — transport, light home help, medical accompaniment, social activities. Some services are voluntary, provided by younger or healthier members. Some are professional, negotiated at preferential rates. The whole rests on reciprocity rather than the market.

The context is concerning: in the United States, around one third of people over 65 live alone. Among those over 85, the proportion reaches half. Loneliness among older people carries a documented risk of premature mortality, established by large-scale epidemiological meta-analyses.

The Village Movement does not claim to replace public ageing policies. It complements them by drawing on what institutions do not do well: mutual knowledge, neighbourhood trust, sustained presence over time.

From Boston, the model has spread across the United States, federated by the Village to Village Network which supports the creation of new villages. The idea is exportable — several European countries are experimenting with similar forms of organised neighbourly support around ageing.

Source: Village to Village Network

Further reading: In Oslo, 40% of Housing Is Participatory. This Is Not a Utopia.