Home is Everything
In the U.S., the population of people who are 100 years old or older is growing at a rapid pace. According to Pew Research Center, only 2,300 Americans were centenarians in 1950. That number is projected to reach 422,000 by 2054.
Older adults have a strong connection to their homes, neighborhoods, and surroundings. More than 90% say they prefer to remain living in their own communities. Yet, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reports that our nation’s existing housing stock is often ill-suited to meet the needs of the very old because of challenges related to affordability, accessibility, amenities, and social isolation.
At all our ages, where we live affects us well beyond the literal set of walls we live within, because home transcends a physical space. How do we get to the heart of what home means? We must ask. There are compelling reasons to share stories of elders and compelling benefits for what we gain from experiencing their stories. The Span Center, VCU Gerontology, and community partners interviewed our region’s centenarians.
What does home mean to you? We asked.
Home is everything. They answered.
Our conversations with our region’s centenarians traversed past, present, and future, examining the intricate relationship between home, housing, and identity, and delving into how housing conditions and racial dynamics influenced these individuals' sense of belonging and community. By recording firsthand accounts of people who have lived through significant periods of history, we hoped to arrive at a deeper understanding of how cultural, social, and racial dynamics shape our experiences of housing and home. The centenarians we interviewed encourage us to consider that wherever we live, our sense of home may be a source of strength for the journey.
Their stories remind us that the work of justice and equity takes more than a hundred years. Our centenarians urge us to stay the course.
In their words: Know your history and speak up. Get along, make peace, and love the people you love. Offer your hands and your heart. Protect each other. Dance. Make music. Make mischief. Keep getting stronger, and keep you going.
We are so grateful to all the centenarians involved, to their families, and to our partners at VCU Gerontology and the Virginia Center on Aging, Chesterfield County, Henrico County, the City of Richmond, Circle Center Adult Day Services, and the Social Security Administration.