Owning My Daughter's Home is Smarter - and More Frugal - than Renting

September 26th, 2019

Some say Luna Azul is a bad idea because the homes there are too expensive for adults with disabilities. I disagree.
First, some background:

My daughter's social life is a primary concern for me. Loneliness is a real problem, especially for those with disability, with real emotional and medical consequences. She, like all of us, would do better in a community of neighbors who know and look out for one another. I hated the thought of her trapped at home, alone, begging for a ride to see a like-minded friend. And I was terrified about her social prospects after I'm gone. Seeing her present universe of friends, I knew she would be much happier, and healthier, living near others who live with daily challenges.

Every congregate option I found for Emma was a rental costing more than $3000/month. If she was even eligible to live in one, I was still facing unknowable cost increases; potential impermanence (will her home be sold or will the vendor go out of business one day?); captivity to the landlord's hiring and care decisions; limited or no control over roommates, guests, pets, modifications, etc. And since I'm budgeting for 45 years, I was facing lease costs well over $1.6 million. I certainly cannot afford this.

Instead, by owning a home in Luna Azul, everything changes. We now have a permanent housing solution for Emma within a safe, inclusive environment, total control over her care and guests, and all at a fraction of the cost of renting. With our equity in the home, we have the potential of recapturing all (or perhaps even more than) the money I put in. We, together with Emma, will decide which roommate will be the best long-term fit, and the rent we collect will more than pay for the HOA dues we are anticipating.

Luna Azul is a “pocket neighborhood” of 30, two and three bedroom homes built around a large clubhouse and pool. Every cottage-home in the gated community has a large front porch facing a shared courtyard. Homes there do not have garages, so there is no car traffic and more opportunity for neighborly interactions with those walking in and out. And since we are selling title to the homes there, residents and families will all have the permanence, control and equity they'd expect with any home, but in an inclusive and safe community of like-minded neighbors.

Luna Azul is not intended to be a panacea for the many adults with disabilities facing the struggle of finding suitable housing. While I am glad, truly, that governments and charities are helping, I also understand that the need for housing far outstrips the supply, and that even the best alternatives come (rightly) with strings attached. I am genuinely grateful to those, inside and outside government, who are working to help my daughter. But, just in case, I am planning for a future where that help may diminish or disappear.

I want my daughter living in housing I'd choose for myself, and among neighbors who'll include her. Since she's not attending college, I have more money to invest in her future than I otherwise might. Spending that money on her housing and relying less on others cannot be bad idea.