Valerie was a valuable cohort member of our first Golden Girls workshop, The Betty’s, and she continues to amaze me with her insights about co-living and community-rooted housing. If you’re curious to experience one of these Golden Girls weekends, we have two more scheduled in Santa Fe: April 2-5 and May 21-24.
Imagine coming home to the soft glow of a lamp, the scent of tea drifting from the kitchen, and the gentle hum of women who are glad you’re there. Someone looks up and says, “You’re home.”
This is the feeling at the heart of a SageHouse, one of the new types of MEA Homes.
Not roommates.
Not strangers passing in the night.
A chosen community—women 55–85 creating a chapter of life that feels grounded, connected, and meaningful. Women who want a home where they can be fully themselves, surrounded by others who value wisdom, curiosity, and kindness.
Many of us reach a moment when we realize: I want more than independence. I want connection. And connection isn’t just comforting—it’s essential. Life brings loss, illness, reinvention, and unexpected turns. In a SageHouse, you live among people who notice when you’re thriving—and when you’re not, a built‑in circle of care that makes resilience possible.
Affordability and stability matter, but they’re only the beginning. What truly transforms a house into a home is the intention behind how women gather. Once we break through the small talk ice, conversations grow deeper and richer, revealing the kind of shared humanity that makes belonging real.
To help spark that depth, here are six poetic invitations for dinner‑table conversation—simple, soulful prompts that open the door to connection:
1. What is the purpose of this season of my life?
A quiet way to name what you’re hoping for now.
2. What does ‘home’ mean to you at this stage?
An exploration of sanctuary, comfort, and possibility.
3. What do I hope to unlearn as I enter community living?
A gentle release of habits that no longer serve.
4. What boundaries help me thrive?
Because clarity is kindness—to ourselves and each other.
5. What small rituals make my day meaningful?
The tiny, sacred rhythms that shape a life.
6. What does belonging feel like to me?
A doorway into the emotional heart of community.
SageHouses are infused with the spirit of becoming—places where wisdom is honored, reinvention is welcomed, and every woman is both teacher and learner. You’re not just finding a place to live. You’re finding a place to grow.
A SageHouse is more than a home.
It’s a circle of women who hold one another through the ordinary and the extraordinary.
A place where support is woven into daily life.
A place where belonging is not accidental—it’s the design.
When you’re ready for a chapter that feels grounded, joyful, and shared, the door is open.
-Valerie
Valerie A. Lee is an MEA alumni member, affordable‑housing advocate and community‑builder whose work centers on equity, belonging, and the power of home. Drawing on her background in property management, financial analysis, and curriculum design—as well as a decade of co‑living with middle‑aged and older women in her own home—she writes about affordable housing and intentional living models like SageHouses that foster connection, dignity, and growth.