{"id":440221,"date":"2026-01-27T07:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T07:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/440221\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T07:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T07:32:09","slug":"three-families-on-how-they-manage-multi-generational-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/440221\/","title":{"rendered":"Three families on how they manage multi-generational living"},"content":{"rendered":"

Multi-generational living \u2014 two or more generations living under one roof \u2014 is becoming more common in Australia<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n

We spoke to three families about how they manage multi-generational living and some of the benefits.<\/p>\n

Housing ‘more expensive than foreseen’<\/p>\n

Brooke Shirley wasn’t expecting to stay for long when she moved into her parents’ Sunshine Coast home on Kabi Kabi lands with her two children (11 and 7) and husband.<\/p>\n

Two years later, the family of six is still living under the same roof while the Shirleys try to find their own property to buy.<\/p>\n

Young people are moving back in with their families<\/a><\/p>\n

Around one in three families has multiple generations living under the same roof. Cost of living could see that figure increase.<\/p>\n

“The idea was to do maybe six months to a year there and then find a property,” says Brooke.<\/p>\n

“[But] it’s a lot more expensive than what we had originally foreseen.”<\/p>\n

Brooke, who is a bank manager says she and her husband and one of their daughters share the upstairs part of the home, which has its own kitchen, living, dining and two bedrooms.<\/p>\n

“Then you sort of go through some doors, down a couple of stairs, and in that area is where my parents are in the main area of the house,” she says. It’s also where her other daughter has a bedroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I can just close that internal door [to our space] and it can look as messy or as neat as we like.”<\/p>\n

The family shares cooking duties on a week-about arrangement.<\/p>\n

“So, one week my parents will cook, the next week I will,” Brooke says.<\/p>\n

“We’ve obviously got more mouths to feed [than they do] so I transfer them $100 when it’s their week and when it’s my week to cook I just look after all of us.”<\/p>\n

Brooke says she feels fortunate to have the support of her parents, both financially and in other ways.<\/p>\n

“I’m an only child, so I don’t have any competition,” she laughs.<\/p>\n

“They [my parents] love spending time with the girls and my dad will do after-school pick-up a couple of days a week.<\/p>\n

“And my mum has afternoon tea ready for them for when they get home.<\/p>\n

“It does work, we’ve made it work.”<\/p>\n

‘Two to three generations in the same house’<\/p>\n

Danish Pokhrel rents a two-bedroom home in Wollongong, on Dharawal lands, with his wife, his 20-month-old daughter and his mother and father.<\/p>\n

The story of us – Australia’s population history<\/a><\/p>\n

As Australia’s population nears 30 million, this is the story of how we got here and where we might be heading next<\/p>\n

The 32-year-old Nepalese national says he has been living with different generations of his family for most of his life.<\/p>\n

“Back in Nepal we would be living together with our grandparents, like two to three generations would live in the same house.”<\/p>\n

He says the practice was born out of necessity in South-East Asia but he believes it can be a more positive way to live.<\/p>\n

The disability support worker says he has experienced three major benefits of the arrangement; financial stability, emotional wellbeing and physical support.<\/p>\n

Danish’s parents are retired and look after his daughter so he and his wife can work full-time, sometimes up to 50 hours per week.<\/p>\n

They share expenses and use a book to keep track of who spends what on groceries.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Danish Pokhrel (centre) says he has spent much of his life living with different generations of his family. (Supplied: Danish Pokhrel)<\/p>\n

“Let’s say I went to the shopping centre today and I would buy cauliflower, I will go home and then write it down in our expenses books,” he explains.<\/p>\n

“At the end of the week, we will calculate how much [the] expenses were and who paid how much [and] distribute the expenses equally between all of us.”<\/p>\n

He says the family completes household chores, such as cleaning, together, about once a fortnight.<\/p>\n

“Some of my Aussie friends, they have already moved to their parents and I do share my experience with them of how we do it,” he says.<\/p>\n

“It was always my wish to show Australians different ways of living which are better than individualist living.”<\/p>\n

Have you changed your living arrangements to reduce costs or combat loneliness? Share with us here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

‘We’ve grown closer’<\/p>\n

Bianca Alexander has been living with her mother Pam for almost 20 years.<\/p>\n

The disability pensioner says at first it came out of necessity, but now she wouldn’t have it any other way.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Bianca Alexander (left) has been living with her Mum for almost 20 years. (Supplied: Bianca Alexander)<\/p>\n

“When I was 31, I moved back in with my mum because my marriage broke down and I had a breakdown,” says the now 50-year-old.<\/p>\n

“I just didn’t really have anywhere else to go after I got out of hospital.<\/p>\n

If you or anyone you know needs help:Suicide Call Back Service<\/a> on 1300 659 467Lifeline<\/a> on 13 11 14Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line 13YARN<\/a>\u00a0on 13 92 76Kids Helpline<\/a> on 1800 551 800Beyond Blue<\/a> on 1300 224 636Headspace<\/a> on 1800 650 890ReachOut<\/a> at au.reachout.com<\/a>MensLine Australia<\/a> on 1300 789 978SANE<\/a>\u00a0on 1800 187 263<\/p>\n

“Mum and I agreed that it would be best if I moved back in with her, and as the years progressed, we’ve just grown closer.”<\/p>\n

The pair have been renting their Gold Coast home in the Yugambeh language region for 15 years.<\/p>\n

“We tend to not just tolerate each other, we enjoy each other’s company,” Bianca says.<\/p>\n

“We always make each other laugh and we send each other things on Instagram, even though we sit on the couch together.”<\/p>\n

The pair share most costs equally and split the household chores, which Bianca says happened “organically”.<\/p>\n

“We split the rent half each and we split the cost of the excess water bill and the electricity,” she says.<\/p>\n

“When it comes to groceries, we go shopping separately and I’ll feed our household for whatever I buy on my grocery bill.<\/p>\n

“I do the vacuuming, and Mum tends to like doing the laundry \u2026 and she loves doing the garden.”<\/p>\n

Bianca says even if she wanted to live independently, she could not afford to with property prices and the cost of living.<\/p>\n

She also wants to help care for her 73-year-old mother as she gets older.<\/p>\n

“I know some people prefer their own space, but I know that traditionally this is how families \u2026 used to do it. It’s great.”<\/p>\n

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