In a bid to achieve stability and financial freedom, Jade Lowe, a 29-year-old mother of three, decided to live in the same home with her mother, younger sister, and 84-year-old grandmother.
Four generations of the Lowe family live in a family house in Grand Rapids, Michigan, amidst growing housing expenses in the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 18% of Americans live in multigenerational households.
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Gema Lowe told Good Morning America, “I’m blessed to be able to have my mom with me, my daughters with me and my grandbabies with me.”
“It’s crazy, but we love it,” Jade added.
She explained, “Between my grandma, my mom and my sister, they kind of all just, like, help out. And the price of rent — I pay my mom a portion versus having my own mortgage.”
In the United States, the median mortgage is $1,902 and the average rent is $1,406, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, making housing expenses unaffordable for many people. About one-third of adults between the ages of 18 and 34 still live with their parents.
Jade declared she has no regrets about it.
“It allowed me to still live my best life in my 20s. It allowed me to honestly just be happy and not have to worry about those extra expenses. I get to keep it, and I get to put it in my savings,” she said. “It means everything, honestly.”
Living with family not only covers rent, but it also provides a built-in support system. For instance, Gema, a community activist, usually picks up her grandchildren from school after work.
Gema explained, “That knowledge that goes from generation to generation can also break down barriers to absorb, and every generation is getting better. We just don’t think about ourselves. We think about [ourselves] as a group, as a collective.”
“I put my schedule around family time so that we can all kind of function,” she added.
Living under one roof isn’t always easy, but the advantages of living together outweigh the drawbacks, according to the family of six.
“There’s a lot going on in the household. And sometimes, you know, I want things my way,” Gema expressed. “And then … I have to think about, ‘Oh, but maybe it’s not what they would like.'”
“I love that everyone is so different,” Jade added. “We kind of bring those differences together under one roof. It is crucial to unite right now in today’s climate. I think that just being under one household helps us with that. We’re forced to be together, we’re forced to have family dinners, which is beautiful.”
The Lowe family pledged that they will always support one another.
“My mom knows that I’m there for her,” Gema said. “The foundation of the society is the family. It makes it better for the outside world.”
“It’s a blessing to be able to still live at home with my mom, to be able to see my grandma on a day to day [basis], to be able to put my kids and my grandma under one roof where they have such a great relationship,” Jade added. “We are blessed and highly favored.”
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