Community housing scheme encourages home sharing

Operating in the town of St John's, Newfoundland, Home Share aims to connect students looking for affordable accommodation with those over 50 living alone.

Projects such as Renew Australia have already tried to make use of urban space that is temporarily empty. Looking for a more long-term solution to the problem of housing in the university town of St John’s, Newfoundland, Home Share aims to connect students looking for affordable accommodation with those over 50 living alone. The idea behind the scheme is that those attending college in the region will be looking for cheap rent, while older homeowners whose children are also away to study will have a space in their home. Students benefit from comfortable accommodation that is much less expensive than the town’s average private rented property prices and the elderly benefit by having company and someone who can help them around the house. Users simply apply with their details and state whether they are a student or an over-50 and Home Share makes the match. The project has already received backing from partners such as the Government of Canada and Memorial University. As rent prices increase in many areas of the world, one to replicate in your community? Spotted by: RP