DUMMERSTON — Sharing Housing, a private enterprise established seven years ago to provide guidance and instruction for individuals seeking home-mates and affordable housing, is now a registered 501(c)(3) organization as Sharing Housing, Inc.
The Dummerston-based nonprofit's mission is to work with organizations, housing professionals, the aging network, regional and local government officials to help individuals make appropriate housing choices through education, advocacy, and model development.
“As housing becomes more and more expensive especially for the ageing population, and affordable housing is becoming scarce, we're taking the ancient concept of shared housing that can be adapted to modern life,” said Annamarie Pluhar, president of Sharing Housing, Inc., in a news release. “Our belief is that a shared living arrangement can provide numerous benefits from cost savings to companionship.”
Sharing Housing provides the following educational resources:
• Sharing Housing: An Intensive Workshop to Gain the Skills to Effectively Select a Good Home-Mate, a 15-hour course designed to provide participants with information on how to use their home and select a suitable home-mate. Topics include honing interviewing skills, learning about conflict management and creating agreements.
• The Sharing Housing Option: A Practical Program for Helping Your Clients, Friends, and Family Save Money, Overcome Isolation, and Live Fully, a half-day course designed for professionals to understand the process and be able to present the material to others.
• Discovering Shared Housing, a four-session webinar that's designed to teach the skills to find the ideal housemate. The webinar offers dialogue with other participants, and a question and answer period with each session.
• One- to two-hour presentations provide attendees with the basic understanding of sharing housing and the process of selecting a home-mate.
Sharing Housing is comprised of a five member board including Pluhar as President; Lisa Sieverts, Secretary; Janet F. Cramer, treasurer; and board members iishana P. Artra and Lori Palmer.