For Scot Hein, living steps away from his two-year-old granddaughter is an “extraordinary” blessing. He can spend time with her every day, whether it’s for storytime or playing in the garden.
The living arrangement was made possible because his daughter and son-in-law built a smaller home in his backyard in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood.
“We made the land work for us … to leverage housing for our next generation of family,” said Hein, 67. His daughter Mary Hein and son-in-law Arran McAteer moved into the 1,400 square-foot, rose-coloured wood-frame house two years ago.
Living close to your family can be good.
Being forced to live with your family for financial reasons isn’t good.
I think that’s the key here. It’s not that people are sticking three generations in a house because it’s financially sensible, they’re doing it because they literally cannot afford to live any other way.
Multi-generational living is just a fucking good idea. Having grandparents on hand to let you enjoy date nights and not having to commute to take care of your parents as they age is a good thing. Obviously some people have contentious relationships with their parents and should avoid this but nobody should ever be shamed over it.
Before the industrial revolution everyone was living with thier families. It varied with location, but for the most part all of history was like that.
And it was because of poverty.
Let’s be very clear on that: Canada is returning to multigenerational homes because the middle class is becoming the lower class again. This isn’t a good thing. It’s a sign of an impoverished society.
