The purpose of this study was to carry out POE of assisted living housing and suggest the design guidelines for the housing complex for the elderly. The subjects were residents(old persons) and staff who lived or worked in three assisted living housing in Cincinnati, Ohio. Interview and survey method using questionnaire were used. The design guidelines for the housing for the elderly were suggested as follows: 1) the location of the housing for the elderly should be in or near the existing housing area, 2) the arrangement of spaces of the housing for the elderly should consist of small groupings rather than large and long corridor pattern, 3) the number of the housing units for the elderly should be small, under 100 units, 4) the housing units should be used by one older persons so that she/he could have the chance of privacy and personalization, 5) various common spaces such as art and craft room or game room should be provided, 6) accessibility should be considered, 7) the color and patterns of interior finishes should be differentiated according to floors or spaces and familiar ones should be used to make a homelike environment.