Shared housing is defined as two or more people who live in one permanent rental housing unit, sharing the costs associated with maintaining that housing, such as rent and utilities. At the most basic level, shared housing is having a roommate.
Shared housing offers many social and financial benefits and individuals should have the choice to live by themselves or with roommates.
Shared housing is not a new program. Instead, it is a way to describe a number of situations where individuals choose to not live by themselves.
On average, California has the highest cost of living in the U.S. A recent report from the California Budget and Policy Center found that 28% of California renters and 16% of homeowners with a mortgage paid over 50% of their income toward housing costs. There is far more demand for affordable housing units than the current inventory in the state. Shared housing is one solution to this problem, increasing the number of available units, decreasing housing costs, and allowing people to move into safer neighborhoods.
Do you know anybody that would benefit from Shared Housing?