This SLO housing program pays homeowners to get roommates. Here’s how it works
When he went searching for a new roommate, Los Osos homeowner Jim Shapiro didn’t expect to get an extra $1,000 in his bank account.
When Shapiro’s previous roommate moved out of his condominium four months ago, he turned to HomeShareSLO. It’s one of three programs run by San Luis Obispo nonprofit organization Smart Share Housing Solutions; the others are Tiny House Consulting and Co-Living Collaborative.
Shapiro had worked with HomeShareSLO in the past to find roommates. This time, however, he was able to take advantage of the New Provider incentive program, which comes with a $1,000 bonus.
“It was like, ‘Oh gee, this is a nice bonus,’ “ Shapiro said.
The goal of the New Provider program is to encourage lower-income home providers to keep rent under $1,100 a month, according to Anne Wyatt, executive director of Smart Share Housing Solutions.
The program, which launched March 28, is open to SLO Countyhomeowners who make $54,000 a year or less, Wyatt said.
When home providers find a match, they receive half of the incentive payment, with the remaining $500 after six months.
So far, Wyatt said, Shapiro is the sole home provider to qualify for the program.
HomeShareSLO provides background checks and a process for meeting candidates that includes a 13-page “living together agreement” that sets expectations for house rules, which Shapiro said makes the process “very easy” as a home provider.
The renter he was matched with, Sam Matthews, said the background checks made it easier to trust the homeowner.
“It’s a lot more secure than going through Craigslist roulette, which I’ve done plenty of times,” Matthews said. “This way, you get to know you’re not being housed with a creep, and the person that you’re renting the room from at least knows that you’re not a criminal.”
Matthews, who works as a guard for California State Parks, rents from Shapiro for $800 a month.
While some candidates might look for people who are a good fit socially, Shapiro took a different approach.
“I was really looking for somebody who worked a complimentary shift so that neither of us is home at the same time a particularly large amount,” Shapiro said, noting that the incentive program wasn’t his only motivation for renting a room.
Like Shapiro, Matthews had also participated in HomeShareSLO’s roommate finding program in the past, and when his previous living situation with a homeowner came to an end, he asked to find a new roommate within the program.
“I think we’re both kindred spirits of a sort,” Matthews said. “We’re both readers, we’ve both don’t have a large social circle. We’re just trying to get by rather expensive county.”
Matthews was matched with Shapiro after a two-week search, Wyatt said.
“We have some clients that have been on our rolls for years and not found the right fit because they’re very selective or narrow about who they take on,” she said, noting that the process usually takes two to three months. “It’s not quick. It’s not definitely not emergency housing.”
According to Wyatt, HomeShareSLO was initially designed to help renters who don’t have experience with independent living, such as senior women.
Now, she said, the program is open to anyone who’s looking for an affordable place to stay.
Ideally, the home shares will last a year or more, Wyatt said, as long as the participants get along.
“We don’t want people to stay together if they’re not happy,” she said.
For more information about HomeShare SLO, call 805-215-5474 or visit smartsharehousingsolutions.org.
This story was originally published July 15, 2022 at 11:26 AM.
