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Yet for some families, surging costs of housing, child care and the need to be in close proximity to aging or ailing relatives makes the option of sharing a space appealing. And beyond the inherent financial benefit, living in close quarters with members of the extended family is viewed by those who’ve embraced the concept as a way to further strengthen familial ties.

In the case of Stroet, their existing home was constructed with a ground-level suite so that his grandfather could move in. It also has an upstairs area — where Stroet lives now — built to be more suited to a family home. Stroet’s grandfather lived with Stroet’s parents for nearly a decade before he died at age 96.

“Living with my parents as he aged and then passed away, it probably helped him live … five years longer than he would’ve had he lived on his own. And certainly, the quality of his life was much, much better being with family.”

He says there is a ‘communal feel’ to sharing a home with his parents

Stroet said that there is a “communal feel” to sharing a home with his parents.

“It’s not the sort of feeling that we’re in two very separate living spaces. We have our own privacy and everything, but we definitely interact a lot, and certainly a lot more than we would if we were living somewhere else.

“I think everyone benefits from that. I know my daughter really loves it, my parents really love it, and honestly, I really like it, too.”

After selling their home in 2008 during the U.S. economic crisis, Jessica Bruno, her husband and son returned to her childhood home to live with her parents. Initially intended as a temporary measure while they looked for another house, they never ended up leaving. And in 2011, her grandparents joined them.