The Ventura County HomeShare program is an alternative way of meeting housing needs that benefits renters and homeowners alike. There are many reasons why people choose to live in shared accommodations, including a need for companionship, help with chores and light housekeeping, or financial assistance with covering taxes, utilities, and maintenance. Ventura County HomeShare pre-screens participants and identifies potential matches based on rent, desired location, and other criteria. Home providers may be living in a house too large due to life changes (empty nest or loss of a spouse), or they may be a one-parent family finding it difficult to cope with maintaining a household alone.
Home seekers may be seniors, college students, newly single persons, professionals recently moved to the area or traveling, or anyone in need of lower-cost housing who enjoys living with others. Simply put, HomeSharing is an arrangement where two or more unrelated people share a dwelling, each having their own private space and sharing certain common areas. Homesharers may arrange a regular rental payment or exchange services to offset a portion or all of the rent. No two HomeSharing situations are alike; each is tailored to the needs and desires of the individual people involved.
Different Types of HomeShare
In a rental arrangement, the home provider will rent out a spare bedroom for extra income. In a service exchange arrangement, the home provider may offer a rent-free room in exchange for services such as transportation, cooking, housekeeping, laundry, running errands, yard work, handyperson tasks, companionship, or pet care. In a mixed arrangement, the home provider will offer a reduced rent to be offset by services.
Ventura County HomeShare is not a home care agency and does not provide a private duty registry of licensed caregivers. HomeShare is not meant to be a home health service, and home seekers are not expected to provide personal care services, such as bathing or assistance with bathing, dressing, bathroom assistance, turning or lifting, or any service which brings the housemate in contact with bodily fluids.
Limited Facilitation Services
The staff of Ventura County HomeShare acts only as a facilitator, providing the opportunity for parties involved to come together and work out their own housing arrangements. HomeShare makes no promises, guarantees, warranties, or claims regarding seekers or providers of housing. Background checks are limited in nature and only provide information on federal arrests or criminal records within the last five to seven years. HomeShare does not perform credit checks, verify income or ability to pay, and does not verify physical and mental health status. It is the responsibility of the participants to determine whether referred individuals are compatible. HomeShare recommends that any housing arrangements should be set forth in a written agreement and makes samples and templates available for participants to use.
Is HomeShare the Right Program for Me?
Successful homesharers must have a degree of emotional stability, which allows them to be interested in and involved in the welfare of others. This program is not appropriate for someone who may have problems that would create additional stress in a home living arrangement. Participants should be able to advocate for themselves and assume full responsibility for every step of the HomeShare application process. HomeShare does not provide home health care. If an applicant needs a great deal of personal care or cannot be left unattended, this program is not appropriate. Homesharers can provide companionship and household help, but it should be expected that seekers will have activities of their own, independent of the home provider. HomeShare cannot provide emergency housing. The process of matching is a careful and somewhat time-consuming one and is not a “quick fix.” It can take time to find suitable matches and for applicants to make careful decisions. People in need of short-term housing may apply, but many providers prefer a longer-term commitment and referral opportunities may be limited. Persons with convictions for felony or misdemeanor crimes involving bodily injury, assault, elder abuse, sexual offense, possession or distribution of an illegal substance, or theft or damage of personal property are not eligible for the program.
To learn more, visit www.vcaaa.org/our-services/housing, call (805) 477-7300, or email [email protected].
