Bay Area county to help people age in place by selling their homes

San Francisco Chronicle · Jessica Roy · 2026-10-11 11:00 UTC

An Alameda County pilot program is taking an unusual approach to aging in place: Help build a backyard ADU for an older homeowner, then sell the original house.

Many seniors want to age in place. Many families want to buy homes. Many local governments in California want to make those things possible.

A new program in Alameda County has a creative solution: Help older homeowners build accessible backyard ADUs, then move in, split the lot and sell their original home to help pay for the construction.

Several years ago, Alameda County’s housing department was putting together a workbook to guide people through the process of building ADUs, or accessory dwelling units. Housing Director Michelle Starratt said there was a lot of interest from one specific demographic: seniors who were house-rich but cash-poor. They wanted to build ADUs on their properties, but lacked the income to qualify for standard commercial lending.

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