Don’t Overlook Homesharing Option for Housing
By Shelley Rhoads Perry
The affordable/workforce housing debate died down somewhat with the mass exodus north last summer, butthe critical need for solutions awaits our neighbors’ return this fall.
As some commentators have already said, it often feels like we aren’t speaking the same language when we discuss the housing issues. I’m a baby boomer, so affordable housing to me was not specifically workforce housing. It was for people on welfare, living in multi-storied project housing; rented, not owned; clustered in one area; paid for by the government. Affordable housing to someone else might mean Habitat for Humanity Homes, owned by a working occupant, still clustered in one area,but well-built and maintained. My image is out of date; the other, too restrictive.
But this is the 21st century – things have changed. There are innovative affordable housing options that are being successfully deployed in other parts of the state and beyond.Home sharing is one such option. Now projecting my own bias, I can imagine you saying, “I wouldn’t want a stranger in my home, so no one else must want one either.” But we would be wrong.
There are 31 million older Americans living alone in their own homes. We have 25,000 people ages 65+ living alone in Collier County. Some will be able to afford to stay in their home without extra income and some won’t. Those who can afford to stay in their home might welcome company and help around the house. Or they might be willing to share their home if they thought they were making it possible for someone else, e.g., a young teacher or police officer, to live where they work.
The homeshare concept is a very good solution for seniors as it has both social and economic benefits. It can improve the serious problem of social isolation (the estimate is that social isolation costs the Medicare program an additional $6.7 billion a year) and presents the opportunity to have a companion (a younger senior or even younger professional) who pays you instead of you paying a home healthcare agency for the same services.
Homeshare is also an affordable workforce housing component for those young and old who have embraced the sharing economy. The benefits are plentiful and answer objections raised by several stakeholders:
- It uses the existing housing inventory.
- It’s an opportunity to have affordable housing options throughout Collier County, not just in one area or district.
- It’s an idea that is not limited by or dependent on land, zoning or building costs.
- It can capture meaningful information on the number of workers who find homes with the number of homeproviders (often older seniors) who are able to stay in their homes – valuable information which can help with future decision-making on affordable housing options.
- It can be a public/private partnership that is economically feasible and self-sustaining for both the county and the participants.
There is no doubt that the affordable/workforce housing issue is complex, but we can move forward if we focus on a component that can be implemented in months, not years. On behalf of the Collier Citizens Council, I urge the Board of County Commissioners to pilot a homeshare program as part of the comprehensive Urban Land Institute plan.
Rhoads Perry, an attorney, is the founder of Lasting Links Solutions, dedicated to providing services for the critical social needs of seniors. In addition to the Collier Citizens Council, she serves on the board of Greater Naples Leadership and Leadership Coalition on Aging.