Housemates with a difference
News
A program aimed at creating meaningful and supportive housing arrangements for older women is being trialled in South Australia.
The Homeshare Pilot Program is a partnership between St Vincent de Paul Society SA (Vinnies), Westside Housing and Shelter SA.
The fee free service carefully matches female householders, aged 55 and over, with female homesharers of a similar age who need affordable accommodation and can offer some help around the house.
Vinnies is currently building a pool of householders and homesharers with the goal of matching them to the right person.
“We’re looking at people who own their own home and are willing to share that with another person,” said Homeshare coordinator Ruth Daugalis.
“They need to be a single female who has a spare bedroom.”
The local response has been heartening.
“We interviewed someone the other day who was looking to open up her home,” Ms Daugalis said.
“She is 83 years old and a powerhouse; she still drives the car, takes her dog to the dog park and volunteers but she lost her husband two years ago and is lonely.”
Another potential householder is 59.
“That’s great and shows it’s not just for a much older cohort,” Ms Daugalis said.
“Her daughter lives around the corner, and they get along fine, but she just would like someone around the house. She heard about the program through the church and got in touch.”
Unlike a traditional flatmate arrangement, the matching process is rigorous: both parties undergo interviews, reference checks and police clearances to ensure a safe and reliable match.
“Focusing on women over 55 and matching them with women over 55 is a little bit different to the traditional home share concept of matching a younger person, like a student, with an elderly person,” said Ms Daugalis.
“This is more of an exchange of companionship and friendship but it’s also a little bit more task based; 10 hours of work in exchange for accommodation. It’s very much about reciprocity, mutual support and friendship.”
Benefits for the householder include assistance with light house duties, shared utility bills, shared meals, a presence in the home, and someone who is there most nights and can help with pet care and maybe a bit of gardening.
“This definitely isn’t crisis care, you’re not a carer and it’s not a rental agreement,” Ms Daugalis said.
“There is a watertight agreement that both must sign off on. Within that are all the ground rules; what’s allowed and what they want to get out of it.”
The shared living model has been successfully run across the world for decades.
The need in Australia has never been greater with older women one of the fastest-growing groups at risk of housing insecurity.
The 2021 Census reported an increase of 6.6 per cent to 7,325 women over 55 experiencing homelessness.
“A couple of years ago, the government was involved in facilitating a task force looking into housing and security amongst older women,” Ms Daugalis said.
“This concept is something that fell out of the findings; to set up a service to help with the housing crisis and the unaffordability.”
The nine-month pilot program gauges the appetite for such a service.
For more information on becoming a householder or homesharer visit: vinnies.org.au/sa/get-involved/homeshare
