Shared Housing Center was created in 1984 to provide and facilitate affordable housing options. Our mission has been to offer housing options and supportive services that foster independence, empowerment, and self-worth and to serve a multicultural, intergenerational population. Since our inception, we have offered housing and services to critically at-risk populations -- older adults, single parents with young children, and persons with special needs -- seeking to elevate themselves from homeless and near homeless situations to lifestyles of relative self-sufficiency.

Our agency offers two basic services to meet the needs of the homeless/near homeless for supportive living environments that foster interpersonal growth and mutual self-help:

Homeshare - Cultivating families of choice

This program pairs "homeseekers" in need of affordable, shared living arrangements, with "homeproviders" who own their housing, but who require companionship, special services or rental income to remain there. In our community, homeproviders are typically widowed older adults struggling financially to maintain their home and single parents with high mortgage payments and utilities. Homeseekers, on the other hand, typically include the homeless, displaced homemakers, college students, domestic violence victims, physically challenged persons, and mental health patients. Shared Housing Center facilitates 100 Homeshare matches per year, impacting over 200 persons at a cost of $250 per person.

CLICK HERE to learn more about HOMESHARE.

 

Transitional, Intergenerational Group Residence -
Breaking the cycle of homelessness

This program offers housing for 12-18 months to homeless single parents with young children and to older adults. During their stay, residents are offered direct services: case management, mental health counseling and children's programs. For single parent families, their crisis typically stems from domestic violence, lack of education or employable skills, loss of employment, and a lack of positive role modeling. For older adults, their crisis typically stems from losing their home to their children, mental deterioration, insufficient funds to pay property taxes, and mandatory relocation due to inadequate housing. This program assists 24 single parents, 45 children and 6 older adults at an annual cost of $175 per person per month.

In addition to these direct housing services, Shared Housing Center also maintains a Housing Education Network to provide ongoing education for consumers and the community about our services, housing needs, and housing options to meet those needs. We offer annual housing workshops for the community, coordinate special needs presentations for other agencies, perform in-staff training, and participate as guest lecturers at conferences and community forums.

CLICK HERE to learn more about our GROUP RESIDENCE program.

Back to Top