Two Generations, One Home: Solutions For Ageing Societies & Companies

Forbes

2 days ago

Sheila & Dela, Homesharers
In an ageing world grappling with the dual crises of elder loneliness and unaffordable housing for the young, one social enterprise in the UK has quietly created an elegant, human-centred solution: homeshare.
Founded in 2019, Two Generations connects older householders with younger home-sharers, creating intergenerational matches that foster companionship, offer practical help, and reduce housing stress for both sides. As Lisa Goldsobel, Head of Operations, explained in an interview, the idea isn't just timely—it's transformative. "We don't find lodgers, we find companions," she says.
In 2025, for the first time, due to falling birthrates and increasing life expectancy, working-age adults' caring responsibilities will switch from being primarily focused on children to elderly parents. This will have a significant workforce impacts. It's projected that two million UK workers will reduce their hours to care for a dependent. A further 2.6 million will stop work altogether.
Lisa Goldsobel, Head of Operations
New solutions are desperately needed at both ends of the generational spectrum. The older need connection, the young affordable housing. Two Generations' CEO Sam Brandman cites a few key UK stats that summarise the challenge:
The Model: Companionship, Not Care
Goldsobel emphasises that Two Generations is not a caregiving service. 'Homesharers are not carers,' she said in an interview, 'They are flatmates with heart. They may prepare meals, run errands, or take walks—but mostly, they offer presence.'
Definitions: Homeshare is a scheme that carefully pairs:
The impact is profound: "We've had householders tell us they sleep better knowing someone is in the house. Family members call to say, 'I can breathe again knowing Mum isn't alone.'"
The matches aren't random. They are the secret sauce to the initiative's success. Two Generations uses a combination of tech-enabled matching and deep human insight. "We have bespoke, award-winning technology that suggests top matches," says Goldsobel. "But then we interview everyone to ensure the fit is right."
The average match lasts about a year, with many lasting far longer. One pairing involved a gentleman losing his sight who loved opera. He was matched with a young soprano studying at London's Royal College of Music. A match made in heaven. "They talked like they were speaking another language—a lot of Puccini and Verdi—and were both delighted. She sang to him nightly."
Bottom Line: A Win for Every Generation
The genius of the model is its multiple benefits for several generations in a single service:
Home-owners receive around 10 hours of support per week for a symbolic contribution of £99. Home-sharers pay £399 monthly—often less than a third of London rental prices.
"We ensure finances aren't a barrier," Goldsobel notes. "We offer bursaries to both sides. It's not a tenancy—it's an agreement built on support and shared lives."
Corporate Awakening: Elder Care as a Workplace Issue
As caregiving becomes a central midlife pressure, companies are feeling some of the pressures growing on their employees. "More people are looking after their parents than their children - for the first time in UK history," says Goldsobel. "One in four employees in the UK are now caregivers. Six hundred people leave work every day to care for an elder. It's becoming a major workplace issue."
Two Generations offers homesharing as a service to employers which can be included as part of their corporate benefits package. Given the growing prevalence of eldercare relative to childcare, companies will want to quickly start treating elder care as they do childcare. By offering homesharing as an employee benefit, they retain talent, reduce absenteeism, and show they understand and support intergenerational responsibility.
The response is promising. Large employers like Sainsbury's are implementing elder care policies. Wellness and housing platforms like Perkbox and HEKA are adding home-sharing to their offerings. Merck has just signed on. Companies in France are organising to create a coordinated policy and status for employee-carers. "We're seeing the penny drop," Goldsobel says. "Smart companies are waking up."
Culture Shift: From Individualism to Interdependence
While intergenerational living is natural in many Asian cultures, Anglo-Saxon countries have prioritised independence. But as life expectancy rises, isolation and loneliness in later life has become its own epidemic.
"Loneliness has the equivalent negative health impact of smoking 15 cigarettes a day," Goldsobel notes. 'And it's avoidable. We can go back to living together, learning from each other, and building bonds.' She adds: "Success can be shared."
Two Generations is part of a quiet revolution. It challenges the myth that ageing is a lonely business and that youth must struggle to find affordable housing. It reframes ageing as an opportunity for connection, empathy, and exchange.
What Next?
Two Generation's vision is to scale the concept and the adoption:
"We want home-sharing to be a natural solution people think of when they say, 'How can I help Mum? How can I stay in the city I work in?'" Because in a world where we live and work longer, we may also need to learn to live together - again.