Historical April–May 2019 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
HomeShare St. Louis is a SDCC sponsored program with support from the Washington University of St. Louis Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging and STL Village (a peer-to-peer network for seniors).
The premise was simple – many properties in Skinker DeBaliviere are quite large and can be expensive to maintain, but their size also means they have extra rooms that can be rented out to students.
The program helps older adults cover housing expenses and/or gain social interaction. Older adult homeowners provide their spare rooms to Washington University graduate students at below-market rates.
This allows students to limit the amount of debt they have to take on while pursuing an education and live in highrent neighborhood without overcrowding themselves in apartments. At the same time, older adults benefit socially from sharing their homes with a younger housemate and have an extra source of income that help them maintain their homes and their health. “Older adults can expect to earn between about $4,000- 6,000 per academic year and students will save 30-50% on off-campus housing – and if both parties are open to it, find a great companion as well” says Brandon Sterling, Executive Director of SDCC. Participants are matched by housing needs, personality types, schedules and values, and undergo a criminal background and reference check.
The older adult’s home is also inspected before the match is finalized. Once a match begins, participants receive regular check-ins by trained STL Village senior volunteers and Washington University graduate students.
While students pay $170 to be matched, older adults only pay for their background check, which is reimbursed if they pass.
To learn more…sdcc@skinker-debaliviere.com.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, April–May 2019.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2019_04.pdf, printed page(s) 1; PDF page(s) 1.
