Shared Housing

Here at Community we are trying to figure out practical ways to be obedient to what God has specifically told us to do:
"... to loose the chains of injustice ...
to share your food with the hungry,
and to provide the wanderer with shelter --
clothe those who are cold ..."
Isaiah 58 6-7

Practically speaking, we have some work to do, especially with the "providing shelter" part. With our economy in freefall, and familes in crisis, we are seeing a rise in the need for housing. We all know it's probably going to get worse. But, right now, people among us here at Community need spare rooms, basements, apartments for temporary shelter or rent.(A glimpse of the need is in conversations on The Emergency Button). So, how do we respond to this need?

An Idea to Talk About --
SHARED HOUSING
Could we, should we, do this?

Shared Housing is a living arrangement in which two or more unrelated people share a home or apartment. Each has his/her private room and shares the common living areas. Basically, it enables a process by which people can safely share their homes, and extend community.

To me, this idea looks and feels like something that would happen back in the early church. It's the openhandedness that we see in the book of Acts. It is shared possessions and hospitality. I know some of you have already experienced what it means to open your home to someone in need. And, it seems like something worth talking about ... worth considering intentionally.

So ... since this site is such a great way to get a lot of perspectives, I'm opening the discussion on this topic to hear from you. If you're not familiar with the concept, go ahead and read a little more about how Shared Housing programs describe themselves (below). And give some feedback...
Some questions to answer:
Could we provide a small-scale storehouse for this?
Can we become a place that links up people and homes?
What could that look like?
What are the up-sides and down-sides of this concept?
What do you know or think about this idea?

Answer all, one, or none of the questions. But, if the possibility of extending community this way ignites any interest or passion in you, chime in on this conversation!!

Shared Housing.
Could we?
Should we?

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Shared Housing -- The Basics
Homesharing is a living arrangement in which two or more unrelated people share a home or apartment. Each has his/her private room and shares the common living areas. Homesharing promotes living arrangements in which people share a residence based on common needs, interests and preferences.

Shared housing programs fall into one of two categories:

Match-up Programs -- which help home providers find a compatible home seeker to pay rent or possibly provide services in exchange for a reduction in rent;
Shared Living Residences, which involve a number of people living cooperatively as an unrelated family in a large dwelling.

A home sharer might be a senior citizen, a person with disabilities, a working professional, someone at-risk of homelessness, a single parent, an AIDS patient, or simply a person wishing to share his or her life and home with others. For these people, shared housing offers companionship, affordable housing, security, mutual support and much more.

In a match arrangement, a home provider is matched with a home seeker who pays rent. In a service exchange, often involving seniors, entails a home seeker who agrees to provide services in lieu of rent.

Who Home Shares?
The person or families who seek housing come from all walks of life. They are students, second career seekers, recently divorced persons, low-income families, unemployed persons, homeless individuals/families, women with their children fleeing domestic violence situations, and single women fleeing abusive partners.

Why Home Share?
Home Sharing reduces costs
Promotes independence
Provides companionship and increased security for both home provider and home seeker
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All above information has been shamelessly cut and pasted from the following helpful websites:
www.nationalsharedhousing.org/
http://www.sharedhousing.org/
http://www.emoregon.org/shared_housing.php