Larry and Jane,* out of the goodness of their hearts, have developed what one might call a non-intentional community. Aware of the difficulty of finding affordable housing, they’ve opened their home to a variety of people. As Jane says, “We don’t have a lot of money, but we do have housing. It’s one of the […]
Read More...Safe Haven—Providing a Home When Needed
Deb offers a safe haven to the people she knows and trusts. Her daughter, knowing this, told a work buddy who was leaving an abusive relationship that Deb could live at her mother’s house. When she told her mother, Mom said, “Of course.” Now, Mom is actually very careful about whom she’ll let into her […]
Read More...Housemates Matching—How it Works for Norma
Norma, now 95, has been living with housemates for ten years. She finds her them through Home Share Now , a matching service based in Barre, Vermont. She knew about home share programs because she had had an aunt in the Burlington Vermont area who had been very content with a housemate she had through […]
Read More...Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You
“Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You” is the magnet on her refrigerator. It is a brave, optimistic attitude. Joy summons it up as she copes with her husband’s illness and their growing infirmities. We first met in the late 1960’s and have stayed friends. Her sturdy Russian husband, Walt, worked well into his […]
Read More...Experiences of home sharing (and what makes it work)
Ellen is an experienced home sharer. She has had two experiences of home sharing as the householder (the person who has the lease) and two as a home seeker (the person who is moving into someone else’s home). And in each situation, she has had one good experience and one less-than-wonderful. How She Started Home […]
Read More...Get Out of My Own Way
Ramey had to learn to get out of her own way. A long-time mediator who likes her solitude, she really wasn’t too sure about having someone around on her property. While not “exactly reclusive,” she wasn’t interested in forced socializing over a cup of coffee every day. She wanted a balance of self-reliance and some […]
Read More...A Husband with Dementia Leads to Home Sharing
When the dementia of her husband required more help than she could handle alone, Kathleen began looking for someone who could help lighten the load. Not someone who is a professional caregiver, but simply another pair of hands. Using Her Network She found Alice through her network of friends and community. Alice, in her early […]
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