Shared Housing Expert Offers Advice for Successful Home Sharing

Annamarie Pluhar, a shared housing expert, provides valuable resources and advice for individuals interested in home sharing, a growing lifestyle choice that offers financial, social, and aging-in-place benefits. Pluhar's expertise comes at a time when more people are considering shared housing arrangements as a viable living option.

Home sharing involves two or more unrelated individuals living together in a single residence, sharing common spaces while maintaining private bedrooms. This arrangement can provide significant cost savings on housing expenses, as well as opportunities for social interaction and support. For older adults, home sharing can also enable them to remain in their own homes for longer.

Pluhar's resources and advice cover key aspects of successful home sharing, including finding compatible housemates, establishing clear communication and expectations, and navigating the legal and financial considerations of shared housing. By providing practical guidance and tools, Pluhar aims to help individuals create positive and sustainable home sharing experiences.

Why this matters: As housing costs continue to rise and the population ages, home sharing is becoming an increasingly attractive option for many. Pluhar's expertise and resources can help more people successfully navigate this growing trend and reap the benefits of shared housing.

The Colorado Gerontological Society is also working to address barriers to multi-generational housing through its Multi-Generational Family Housing Coalition. The coalition is using a community-directed approach to identify issues in current housing policies that discourage multi-generational families, especially those with extremely low and low-income older adults, LGBTQIA older adults, and urban and rural older adults. The project aims to conduct a systemic analysis of the barriers families face when choosing to live together.

Pluhar's website offers accessibility features to ensure her resources are available to a wide audience, including screen reader optimization, keyboard navigation optimization, and support for a range of browsers and assistive technologies. As Pluhar notes, "Shared housing is an option that should be accessible to everyone who wants to explore it. I'm committed to providing the tools and support to help make that possible."

Key Takeaways

• Annamarie Pluhar is a shared housing expert providing resources on home sharing.
• Home sharing offers financial, social, and aging-in-place benefits for individuals.
• Pluhar's advice covers finding compatible housemates and navigating shared housing logistics.
• The Colorado Gerontological Society aims to address barriers to multi-generational housing.
• Pluhar's website features accessibility tools to ensure resources are widely available.