Here is an excellent article by my friend and fellow home-sharing advocate Anna-Marie Pluhar, president of the non-profit organization Sharing Housing Inc. The article was published in the Summer 2023 issue of Generations Journal: Making a Golden Girls Home a Reality.
I would especially like to highlight the point Anna-Marie makes about using online web-based home-mate matching services. While they provide a valuable service for those who would like support in finding a home-mate, they may not have enough potential matches in your particular geographical area. In my experience, most people would prefer to find a home-sharing opportunity close to where they currently live — or in a specific area they wish to move to, for instance, if they wish to move closer to family.
Empowering people with the skills they need to find their own home-sharing situation offers the best chance for success. Anna-Marie’s book Sharing Housing: A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates is available on the Golden Girls Canada website. You can also take the online courses offered on the Sharing Housing Inc. website anytime, or register for one of Anna-Marie’s live online workshops. The next one is schedule for this September.
Home-sharing is truly a wonderful solution to both the financial stress and loneliness many older adults face. Overcoming a totally understandable, but largely unwarranted, fear of the unknown comes from empowering ourselves through education and gaining the skills we need to plan our own future.