This is Cohousing | Ep 5 | Aging with Pride: Redefining Home for LGBTQ+ Elders with Margaret Roesch

In this episode, Charles Durrett sits down with Margaret Roesch, co-founder of Village Hearth Cohousing in Durham, North Carolina—the first LGBTQ+ cohousing community in the United States.What began as a response to the fear of isolation in later life became a bold, community-driven journey in living differently. Margaret shares how she and her partner Pat McAulay helped bring Village Hearth to life from the ground up—without prior development experience—and why they chose to create a 55+ community where queer elders could live openly, safely, and in connection with others.Together, they explore how intentional design shapes human relationships, from front doors placed just 30 feet apart to shared spaces that foster daily interaction. The conversation dives into the realities of building community—from navigating uncertainty and collective decision-making to moving in during COVID and weathering unexpected challenges along the way. More than just a housing model, Village Hearth reveals what’s possible when people prioritize connection over isolation. Margaret reflects on how cohousing has changed her life—supporting independence, encouraging personal growth, and creating a culture of mutual care, from shared meals to systems of helping hands.This episode is about more than cohousing. It’s about aging with intention, designing for belonging, and rethinking what it means to live well—together.Learn more about Village Hearth by visiting https://www.villagehearthcohousing.com/For more info visit ⁠⁠⁠www.cohousingco.com⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/CohousingCo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X