About Us

What We Do

Montclair Shared Housing Association (MSHA) operates an affordable residence for seniors at the Montclair Inn, providing an option to enjoy communal living for as long as they’re able to manage activities of independent daily living.

We create a sense of community both inside and outside the Inn, collaborating with state and township officials, local businesses, foundations, schools, other non-profits and volunteers to support the Inn as the model of a non-profit boarding house.

Above all, we offer an environment that nourishes body and soul at an affordable cost through the senior years.

Our Staff

History is full of ingenious characters who make much from little. No one beats our merry band of superheroes. They bring a host of skills and experience to the operations of the Inn—and a ton of heart.

Our Board of Trustees

Our board members all tell a similar story about getting involved: someone invited them to the Inn, they were astounded and delighted to learn such a place existed, and felt compelled to help.

Our history

In 1990, as they saw elderly residents leaving Montclair because they could no longer afford to live here, members of the now-named Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair formed a committee to address the need for affordable housing for seniors. The Montclair Shared Housing Association was formed and—with financial assistance from the Township of Montclair, the New Jersey Historic Trust, the New Jersey Historic Preservation Bond Program and the Federal Home Loan Bank—acquired and renovated what’s now known as the Montclair Inn.

Originally a resort hotel on Hillside Avenue, the building, which was constructed in 1855, had also been a women’s seminary and a low-end boarding house in its storied past.