As senior living demand grows, so too do senior living community waitlists. Now, some operators are starting to find ways to revamp their growing waitlists with new services that benefit both them and their prospective residents.
Among them is Portland, Oregon-based RoseVilla Senior Living, which has a waitlist that, for some residents, could theoretically last for decades given how slowly the community turns over units. Last year, the operator rolled out TakeRoot, a program that separates waitlist members based on tier and offers services ranging from planning resources to full access to the community.
Under the program, residents pay into service tiers ranging from $3,000 – the deposit needed to secure a spot on the waitlist – to $90,000, which allows depositors to move to the top of the waitlist for RoseVilla’s neighborhood units.
Since its launch last March, RoseVilla’s TakeRoot program has helped reduce the community’s waitlist from 458 to 300 spots. It also has served as a new source of revenue for RoseVilla.
“That really became what we felt was a manageable program and a realistic time frame for people that would ultimately be 12 to 15 years … on the bottom of the list,” Lewis told Senior Housing News.
High demand for senior living and a low rate of new community openings is pushing average occupancy ever-higher. But as communities fill up, lengthy waitlists – once a sign of a community’s popularity and financial health – could now represent money left on the table if not all of those residents move in at the end of the day.
RoseVilla is not the only senior living operator facing growing demand and an inability to expand in 2026, and companies including Nashville, Tennessee-based Blakeford Senior Life and Dallas-based Frontier Senior Living are taking similar approaches with residents waiting to move into their communities.
Added revenue for operators, peace of mind for residents
RoseVilla organizes TakeRoot into three tiers with varying services and price points. The lowest tier, called “informed,” gives prospects access to a resident information portal and resources to help with planning. The middle tier, “connected,” provides a discount on dining at RoseVilla and allows access to the CCRC’s wellness amenities four times per month per person. It’s targeted at people looking to move into the community in between eight and 12 years.
The highest tier, called “committed,” allows waitlist members to act as though they are already residents – other than having a unit on campus – with full access to the community and a one-on-one aging coach. The tier ranges in price from a $20,000 to $90,000 deposit, depending on where residents want to move between a classic cottage or the limited neighborhoods and is reserved for only 32 spots, meaning only a two-year wait for residency.
Since implementing TakeRoot and adding services prior to move-in, RoseVilla has brought in more revenue while also helping residents feel more welcome and prepared for their eventual move-in. The operator last year brought in over $1.8 million in revenue that goes toward entrance fees, and its top 32 spots were filled within 14 days.
“It’s enhancing our cash flow, and at the same time, it’s creating peace of mind for future residents because there’s a significant deposit that they’ve put down and they’ve been financially qualified,” Lewis said.
Other operators are rolling out their own waitlist programs with similar aims. Blakeford Senior Life last year launched a program called emerald circle program which gives waitlist members regular access to the operator’s community programming. The membership fee to join emerald circle applies to Blakeford’s community entrance fees, according to Carolyn Picton, director of sales and marketing.
While Dallas-based Frontier Senior Living doesn’t have a formal waitlist for its communities, those on the list are invited to the community for curated experiences, such as chef-led dining events, wellness programs and seasonal celebrations, according to Shane Stricker, director of marketing communications. It also allows for early access to preferred rates or incentives that can be locked in while on the waitlist.
“This approach allows future residents to begin building relationships with our team and their future neighbors well before move-in, creating a smoother and more welcoming transition when their home becomes available,” Stricker said.
Blakeford’s emerald circle program charges users $125 per person per month. Single members of the program also get $10,000 toward a future entrance fee, while couples get a future credit of $15,000 to apply to an entrance fee. So far, the program has generated between $50,000 and $75,000 in additional revenue for the operator, according to Picton.
Along with getting to experience the “country club lifestyle without having to move in yet,” members have access to nurse coordinators designated to oversee services in their home. So far, the operator is slowly growing its program, but the residents already on it are satisifed.
“In a 90-day satisfaction survey, an Emerald Circle member reported accessing fitness assessments, social events, exercise classes and resource and service referrals, rating their experience as ‘excellent’ and being ‘extremely likely’ to recommend the Emerald Circle program to a friend,” she said.
Benefits not only financial
Alongside financial benefits, operators are using their waitlists to make determinations on the direction for their communities. Frontier uses its waitlists particularly for information gathering, such as preferred floor plans, timelines, lifestyle priorities and amenity preferences.
“This information helps us match future availability more intentionally, fill openings more quickly and minimize downtime. We also use these insights to refine our marketing and messaging—for example, highlighting high-demand features like pool-facing residences when we see strong preference trends emerge,” Christina Perales, regional sales director at Frontier, told Senior Housing News.
RoseVilla is already executing on the data gathered from its waitlist participants through development. According to Lewis, 75% of its committed tier members want rooms ranging from 1,500 to 2,100 square feet. Across RoseVilla’s entire inventory, only 25% currently matches that desire.
With a recent purchase of land, Lewis said the CCRC’s expansion is going to focus on meeting that want from the waitlist. The new development will add between 30 and 35 independent living and 25 to 30 assisted living apartments with a creative art center over the next 24 to 27 months.
“Now that we have this type of wait list and we can engage with it differently, we have a better way of even getting more information out of that wait list that helps inform future development, future programming and future engagement with our residents,” Lewis said.
Looking ahead, Lewis foresees the industry continuing to find ways to flesh out waitlists, and RoseVilla is no exception. In 2026, the operator plans to expand its “committed” tier from 32 spots up to 38, and the benefits will extend to both operators and residents.
“We’ll fall far short of that nationally to build on a regular basis,” Lewis said. “And so I think that with that funnel getting tighter and tighter and tighter, and people wanting to make selections and understand the sense of security of where they’re going, I think there’s a mutual benefit for both parties to be able to do that … the waitlist is an untapped resource for both parties.”
