The Lonely American Dream: From Crisis to CoLiving | Samuel Wegert | TEDxCharlotte

Loneliness is rising. Housing costs are crushing working people. And homelessness continues to grow. In this TEDx talk, Sam Wegert argues the American Dream needs an update—and the answer might not be new construction, but unused space. Sam explains CoLiving (co living): renting private rooms within a home while sharing common areas, supported by background checks, clear rules, and accountability. He explores how this model can expand housing workforce, build real community, and offer a sustainable option for homeowners and real estate investors who want a scalable way to help their communities. Samuel Wegert is a real estate investor and educator focused on solving housing and loneliness through a shared housing strategy called CoLiving. Raised as one of eight kids in a small house, Sam learned early that sharing space creates connection and community. As an adult, he experienced the opposite—loneliness—while pursuing the American Dream of independence. That changed when he began renting rooms in his own home. His living costs dropped, his social life grew, and he realized shared housing could solve real problems. Today, Sam owns and manages over 450 CoLiving rooms for working professionals and teaches thousands of investors across the U.S. how to create this type of housing. Sam believes the housing crisis isn’t about lack of buildings or government subsidies, but lack of sharing. With millions of unused bedrooms and hundreds of thousands of people without homes, he challenges us to rethink success—not as owning more space, but as sharing it. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx