I recently visited Reba Place Fellowship, a Mennonite community in Evanston, Illinois. They own several multi-generational houses and apartment complexes within two blocks of their church, where 38 fellowship members and church members have been living for many years. They contacted us to help them explore architectural modifications to support their members as they age in place.
What amazed me was that all the multi-generational houses were located in the middle of Evanston, and I could not tell which of the houses I was looking at were theirs and which were owned by other families. The street looked completely ordinary and the neighborhood was so close that everyone on those blocks even knew which car belong to which family. From the large living room window of the house where I stayed, I could see all the activities on the street. This reminded me of the ideal community described in Jane Jacob’s book The Death and Life of Great American Cities.
How did they create and sustain this beautiful community? A senior member who had lived there for over 30 years told us that it requires a strong personal commitment and desire for community life. She also said that some structure was needed, yet too much harms the sense of community. Their leaders do not exercise authoritative decision making. Instead, group consensus directs the life of community.
The house where I stayed wasn’t locked, so anybody could walk in — and a lot of people did. While I sat in their living room, I saw many people from the neighborhood walk in to pick up or drop off things they shared, like a daily newspaper. A mother with kids walked in and said “hi” when she saw us, not alarmed in the least to see people she didn’t know. It was so wonderful to experience the sense of trust this community was built on.
I also learned about the effort and commitment the senior member had told me was needed to sustain this sense of community. All the fellowship members said they would like to care for their elders in the community until they die. That can be quite a challenging task, but I feel sure they will all do their best to look after the elders with respect and consideration.
Looking at the elders in this community, I was thinking: “They have earned this high level of respect and love from younger generation by investing so much of their lives in this community.” Such an important lesson for us to learn, if we want to be surrounded by people who sincerely care for us as we age.
