Shared Housing
Recovery-oriented housing is safe and secure, affordable and permanent; support services are available when and where the consumer needs them, but remain optional. In addition to independent living and Fairweather Lodge, shared housing is another recovery-oriented housing model in Pennsylvania.
Shared housing is a living arrangement where two or more unrelated people share a home or apartment to their mutual advantage. Each person has a private room and shares the kitchen, dining, and other common areas. There are two models of shared housing: match-up and group shared residence.
A group shared residence involves a number of people living cooperatively in a single large dwelling. Many residences are sponsored by non-profit organizations and may involve the provision of meals, laundry and housekeeping services.
A shared housing match-up is where a homeprovider shares his/her home with a homeseeker, who pays rent. Some matches are intergenerational and some involve the provision of services in exchange for a reduction in rent.
For more information on shared housing, see Shared Housing Questions & Answers (Q&A). Additionally, the National Shared Housing Resource Center provides contact information for several shared housing programs across Pennsylvania, click here to view this list.
Group Shared Residence
A group shared residence differs from other forms of congregate living (such as CRR and Personal Care Boarding Homes) because residents of shared housing have choice and control. Members of shared housing choose the other members of their household and control the house rules and policies and day-to-day operations of their home. Limited Equity Housing Cooperatives are an ownership-based model of a group shared residence.
- Limited Equity Housing Cooperatives
Housing cooperatives provide affordable housing ownership with maximum community control. The co-op resident becomes not only a co-owner of the cooperative but also a vital member of the community. This approach provides housing choices that balance the individual’s support needs with his or her desire to live within a broader community. For more information about housing cooperatives in Pennsylvania, please read our Summer 2002 Newsletter and Spring 2004 editions.
Shared Housing Match-up
The following documents provide resources for establishing a shared housing match-up program.