Michele Higgs, left, facilitates a new Home Sharing program that matches homeowners and tenants over 60 in Montgomery County, Maryland. Higgs helped Sue, right, find a tenant who was a good match. Photo by Lesia Bullock, HIP Homes, Inc.

• Share

PRINT

After living alone in her 1,600-square-foot house for decades, Susan (a retiree whose last name is withheld for privacy) decided to roll out the welcome mat at her home in Silver Spring, Maryland.

She started renting her spare room to medical students about 10 years ago. Now she rents her room to people over age 60 through a new program called Montgomery County Home Sharing.

“It’s good because [the tenants are] closer to my age,” Susan said. “It’s a matter of making people comfortable and creating community.”

Modeled on the “Golden Girls” idea, the home-sharing program is supported by the county and facilitated by a local nonprofit housing development and counseling agency, Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc. (HIP).

HIP’s certified housing counselors work hard to find the perfect match.

“In order to be sure we get a good fit, we spend a lot of time talking to individuals,” said Michele Higgs, HIP community outreach coordinator. “We listen openly and compassionately…We make it a win-win.”

One win is economic, of course: The homeowner gets a little extra income, and the renter saves money on rent, which averages between $750 and $1,200 per month, often including utilities. Sometimes the homeowner discounts the rent further in exchange for gardening or grocery shopping help from the tenant.

Another program participant, Gloria Chicas, who lives in a three-story townhouse in Silver Spring, rents out her basement.

“I decided to share [my house] with somebody because I needed extra income,” Chicas said.

Chicas was paired up with a 79-year-old handyman who moved into her basement apartment. They share a kitchen, full bathroom and laundry room, and it’s working out well so far, she said. “He’s quiet, so it’s okay.”

Free background checks, more

A key part of the program is a website called Silvernest, a sort of Airbnb for older adults. People in the program get free access to Silvernest, which they can search to find photos of available apartments. Silvernest also provides background checks, lease templates, automated rent payments and even insurance.

If you don’t have a computer or aren’t comfortable using one, Higgs and other HIP staff can help. They can even take photographs of your home and spare room or accessory dwelling unit (a guest house, for instance).

“We often see people who don’t want to be on the Silvernest program or aren’t technically savvy,” Higgs said. “We take them where they are in terms of their ability.”

To make sure everything is running smoothly, HIP counselors also check in with the participants a month after they move in, and again three months later, according to Lesia Bullock, HIP’s director of resources and communications. “The counselors stay involved with the clients,” Bullock said.

“If there are any issues that come up between those times, we encourage them to call us so we can mediate any issues. It’s something our counselors are used to doing with all our clients who aren’t in the home-sharing program. That’s why this program was a good fit for us.”

Counselors will stay in touch for at least six months, free of charge.

As Higgs put it, “We don’t just make this happen and then leave you by yourself.”

Home-sharing as an adventure

Most participants find that renting rooms to older adults is an easy process.

Susan shares her kitchen and her home with erstwhile strangers, and “It’s worked out really well,” she said. It’s even easier now that the “wonderful and supportive” staff from HIP help facilitate the process, she said.

There’s another big advantage to the home-sharing program: social interaction.

For Susan, roommates can add color and excitement to daily life. For example, she has met brilliant medical students and interesting people from other countries.

One previous renter, a Korean student, shared her home-cooked meals, introducing Susan to new foods. “I’m always up for trying it, to taste other cuisines,” Susan said.

Susan recommends that others rent out their spare rooms, too.

“Some of my friends have dared to try [the home-sharing program], and they say, ‘Oh, this is cool.’ You get to share and meet people you wouldn’t meet otherwise. We talk about who I’ve met through the program, and they say, ‘Wow, that’s really exciting.’”

To find out more about the Montgomery County Home Sharing Program, call (301) 85-SHARE, (301) 857-4273 or visit hiphomes.org/home-sharing.