What if you wanted your own home but also wanted to live closer to family or friends? Pennsylvania has a housing program you may not have heard of called ECHO, and it is worth understanding even if it is not available everywhere.
What is an ECHO cottage?
ECHO stands for Elder Cottage Housing Opportunity. Pennsylvania describes ECHO cottages as small, separate manufactured residences for older adults that are temporarily placed in the side or backyard of a host family, such as relatives or close friends.
The idea is simple: the older adult has a separate home, privacy and independence, while family or friends are nearby. The arrangement can offer proximity to support without requiring everyone to live in the same house or changing who makes the older adult’s decisions.
The cottage is temporary. Pennsylvania says it can be relocated when the resident’s living requirements change.
How is an ECHO cottage different from an ADU?
An ADU, or accessory dwelling unit, is a broader type of additional dwelling on a property. Whether an ADU is allowed, and what form it can take, depends on local zoning and municipal requirements.
Pennsylvania’s ECHO program is more specific. It serves qualifying lower-income older adults through participating Area Agencies on Aging and local housing partners. The cottage is part of that program structure and is intended to be temporary.
So while the two ideas may look similar from the backyard, the rules behind them can be very different.
As I said in the video: There’s rules. There’s always rules.
Can you put one on any property?
No assumption should be made that an ECHO cottage, ADU or other additional dwelling can simply be placed on a particular property.
Program eligibility, current availability, local zoning, permits, utilities and municipal requirements all need to be checked.
Pennsylvania currently lists ECHO cottages only in certain participating counties and Area Agency on Aging service areas. Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Delaware County are not currently on that list.
You can check the current program information directly through the Pennsylvania Department of Aging ECHO page.
Why know about ECHO if it is not available everywhere?
Because later-life housing conversations often get reduced to the same few choices: stay in the current home, move in with family, or move to senior living.
Those can all be legitimate choices. But they are not the only housing models worth knowing about.
You cannot ask about an option you have never heard of.
That is the point of talking about models like ECHO. Not to tell you which housing choice is right, but to help you understand what exists, what questions to ask, and what needs to be checked before making a decision.
You can find more later-life housing and real estate information in my Family Resource Center.
The practical takeaway
Understanding your options before you make a decision gives you better questions to ask.
Knowledge is power.
I’m Jess Carpenter, REALTOR® with Elfant Wissahickon Realtors, serving Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and parts of Delaware County. If you have a real estate question, Just Ask Jess.