Tested and Proven: HomeShare Vermont 

“It’s an exciting time to promote homeshare,” says Connor Timmons, the newish Executive Director of  HomeShare Vermont (HSVT), based in Burlington Vermont.  Connor was hired in 2023 when Kirby Dunn who founded and directed the program retired after 23 years in the position. When Connor was hired, part of his mandate was to expand the program throughout Vermont.  In Fall of 2023 the program expanded to Windsor County through a partnership with the Thompson Senior Center. Most recently they grew again welcoming Caledonia, Essex, Orleans and Windham Counties by teaming up with The Windham & Windsor Housing Trust and the NEK Council on Aging. 

Connor says, “I am surprised by how much growth potential there is.” In Vermont, 64,000 seniors live alone in houses of two or more bedrooms. And it’s not just seniors, twenty-seven percent of all households are single occupancy. The potential is there, but “people have two different perceptions of home share, either it’s for people in dire straits, or for the wealthy. This perception can keep people from realizing, ‘Oh, this is for me.’  It’s for all kinds of people.”

How It Works

If a person is interested in pursuing homeshare, they fill out an application which can be found on their website.  They might be a “host” who has room and is looking to have someone move in or a “guest” a person looking for space.  The application is short and provides the information necessary to conduct background and reference checks. 

Background Check

HSVT conducts six different background checks on all applicants, hosts and guests. And while any record of crime against person or property is a disqualifier,  Connor says, “Having a difficult history does not necessarily mean the person is rejected, but it will be looked at closely.” They pay attention to factors such as whether the person discloses a past issue in the application.  In other words, what were the circumstances and has the person made changes. 

Reference Check

They check on references. They talk to three or four people who know the applicant.  These can be people who have lived with the person, former landlords, therapists, neighbors, friends, or case managers. They also do a deep dive internet search looking for information about the person that might not show up on the first of a google search. During this phase, they also have a short phone call with the applicant to make sure they understand the process and the fees. These are on a sliding scale depending on income. 

Interviews

The next phase is an in-depth interview.  For the guest, this will occur wherever it is convenient. For the host, it happens in the home. This home visit allows the HSVT staff person to check on what is being offered to the guest with the query, “Is it livable?” The focus of the interview is really understanding how the applicant lives, nitty gritty stuff such as routines, must-haves and can’t live withs, alcohol and drug behavior, pets, cleanliness and tasks. They’ve heard, “You are like the CIA and FBI combined!” to which Connor says, “That’s the way it should be.” 

Assuming all is good, the next step is for the case worker to put together a “Resume” – it contains all the information that has been learned about the applicant including the financial arrangement and if services are desired. This resume goes into a HSVT’s case management database and if the host so wants to, a listing is created for HSVT’s listing page. 

Matchmaking! 

The case workers then look for a match. This often takes months. HomeShare VT cautions applicants that it’s unlikely to happen quickly. Says Connor, “It’s not emergency housing. “ If they think that they have a potential match, the caseworker introduces the person by sharing their resume and going over it together.  This allows each applicant to say “no” if there’s something in the “resume” they don’t like. 

If both people agree that there is a potential match, the case worker will introduce the two applicants in the home of the host. There they have a thorough conversation about how the two people would share the home, including specific details about any assistance the guest would provide the host. After the meeting, both parties have an opportunity to sleep on it. The case worker then talks to each person independently to ask what they thought and if it’s a go.  It does happen that an applicant says no. Connor says, “We had a host who said no after six different introductions, but yes to the seventh. This one is going very well. 

Match Trial 

If it’s a good match, there is a two-week trial period. The guest moves in with a suitcase and must maintain their housing during the trial period. They sign a tentative agreement. During this period,  the case manager is proactively checking in with both parties. If all is good at the end of the two-week period a formal housemate agreement is signed.  

On Going and Endings

An important part of the program is proactive and regular checking in after the match with both parties to make sure it’s going okay. It’s “little touches here and there” that can mitigate a small issue from becoming a big one. So says Connor, “We don’t wait for a problem.” 

When asked about how endings are managed Connor says, “We always aim for a graceful ending. Everyone has a thirty-day notice policy.” Sometimes a host can no longer live independently and needs to move. If that happens HSVT will work to actively rematch the person being displaced. 

Who Is a Good Candidate?

. “It’s important to be able to communicate and be willing to share a bit. Both host and guest need to be able to voice what if there is a problem and also when things are good.  It helps to have a bit of self-awareness, this goes a long way.” Other attributes of good candidates are someone who needs help or needs some money to make ends meet.” Connor points out that some homesharers really don’t want personal sharing and are comfortable living separately “as ships pass in the night” but most enjoy some level of companionship.  In general guests should also be able to communicate, have some patience and enjoy sharing and hearing stories. 

Why Here and Now

HSVT started experimenting with expanding by partnering with Thompson Center in Woodstock, to serve people in Windsor County.  Connor says, “This allowed us to test run the model.”  In addition, HSVT started getting phone calls from people outside their service area.  “It didn’t make sense not to be able to help people who called.” There is a need and interest from Vermonters. They have over the years honed their process and methods to make it work.  “If not now, when?”

That said they are starting small with a part-time case managerin Windham County . The tension is not growing faster than they can manage. 

The Future 

HSVT has a “moon shot” goal of seeing one-percent of Vermont population in shared housing. They’ve crunched the numbers.  The savings for hosts, renters and social services makes it clear that the Return on Investment is outstanding. 

Connor says, “Sharing housing is affordable housing in a time of high housing costs and scarcity. It’s a social connection in a time of increasing social isolation. It helps in managing a home. Too many people think of shared housing as a stigma, they think ‘I don’t need it yet.’ What they miss is the reality that home sharing is fun!”

Check out their video about homeshare..HomeShare Vermont Matches Video