About Home Share Oregon

Home Share Oregon is a nonprofit program of the 501c3 organization, Oregon Harbor of Hope. Our mission is to prevent foreclosure and homelessness through homesharing.

We use Silvernest technology to enable homeowners to find safe, compatible roommates to share their home, and our partner organizations help us support low-income Oregon renters and homeowners with additional services for homesharing. Our services include:

Rental listing service: list space in your home for rent to share with a housemate
Roommate matching based on compatibility and preferences
Secure message and background screens
Lease generator and rent payment processing
Mediation and homesharing support services
Additional support services for those who qualify

Ready to start exploring potential housemates? Looking for more support? Sign up today by clicking “Join Us” below. With your registration we can connect you with the right resources.

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Join Us!

When you join us by filling out this form, we send you an email with a link to start your homesharing. The location and income information you provide allows us to provide you with additional support from local nonprofits, beyond just helping you find a great roommate. Your personal information is confidential and will not be shared with anyone outside of the Home Share Oregon program, for any reason.

Homeowner Services

Home Share Oregon provides a range of services to help you find a housemate and generate income from home sharing. We have partnered with Silvernest, an online homesharing platform, to make it easy to list space in your home for rent and match with renters based on lifestyle compatibility.

Please complete the form above (link) so we can determine if you qualify for other services, including:

Help preparing your space for home sharing
Assistance creating a profile and listing your property on Silvernest
Mediation services
And more

Our services and a limited quantity of Silvernest memberships are free to qualified homeowners. Sign up today!

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Renter Services

Home Share Oregon is committed to helping renters find affordable, stable housing. That’s why we partnered with Silvernest, whose online homesharing platform makes it easy to match and message with homeowners simply and efficiently.

We also offer these services to those who qualify:

Assistance creating your home sharing profile
Resources for move-in costs
Tools for creating alternative rental agreements
And more

All Home Share Oregon services are free to renters. Sign up today to explore listings and options.

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WHO IS HOMESHARE OREGON?

Home Share Oregon is a program of Oregon Harbor of Hope. Marissa Cade is the program manager of Homeshare Oregon.

Home Share Oregon combines Silvernest technology and partnerships with many community nonprofits to best serve Oregon’s homesharing community. Linked here are some of our amazing partners.

FAQs

If you do not want any additional support, and do not want free access Silvernest you can skip straight to setting up your profile on Silvernest. Or, join us and sign up today!

Home Share Oregon powered by Silvernest is committed to your security and we make it easy to screen potential housemates. Background checks, legitimate rental agreements and access to mediation services all make home sharing more secure and comfortable for both homeowners and renters.

Some people like a casual home, some like a more formal house, but everyone deserves a home that is stable and secure. There is no quota for how “nice” your home has to be to share it. Just keep in mind renters will be looking for images of your home that reflect a clean, comfortable place to live. It’s a good idea to tidy up and put your best foot forward.

Everyone is comfortable with a different level of neatness. Some people may be a stickler about the level of tidiness they like in their home, others may be more comfortable with a more casual level of clean, but either way with the recent COVID-19 pandemic, we recommend disinfecting surface areas and shared spaces regularly. Your Silvernest profile also provides the option to list your cleanliness preferences and screen your matches based on theirs.

Home Share Oregon is a nonprofit program. All of our services, including Silvernest membership fees for our clients, are paid for with money collected from the community through fundraising. Silvernest is a home share business. Home Share Oregon has raised the money to buy access to the Silvernest technology and has added additional services so that we can support more people to share homes. We know some people need a little help in addition to online tools, and that is what we aim to provide!

Home Share Oregon will provide home share services to 50 homeowners for six months and free background checks and renter profiles to 400 renters. That is 450 Home Share Oregon members at no cost! Our goal is to continue raising money to provide all of our services at no cost to low-income participants, forever. In the future, higher-earning homeowners will pay a small service fee while lower-income participants continue to receive free service.

6 Tips for sharing a Home During COVID-19

It is a good idea to periodically review the latest guidelines, executive orders, and information from state public health officials such as the Oregon Health Authority guidance on COVID-19. You can find out the latest national guidance and information from the Centers for Disease Control. We also recommend checking out the CDC’s resources on coping with stress during this time.

You may have already exchanged this type of information with your roommate, but now’s a good time to make sure it’s all up-to-date. Save your roommate’s information in your smartphone and/or secure a physical location at home. You’ll want to gather and exchange emergency contact information as well as copies of health insurance cards, primary physician contact information, and a list of known allergies and current medications. If there are pets in the house, make a backup plan for their care in event of an emergency, and keep the pet’s veterinary contact information in the same place.

Use home health supplies provided free by Home Share Oregon before you share your home. Home Share Oregon is providing a handheld device that checks oxygen level and temperature to all homeowners who post a listing through our service on Home Share Oregon.org, while supplies last. Additionally, homeowners and renters who sign a lease agreement will have the option to each receive a free COVID test once a rental agreement has been signed and a move-in-date has been chosen (while supplies last). These tools do not guarantee that there is no Coronavirus present, but they are an effective way to reduce risk of exposure.

Sit down together for a compassionate conversation about social distancing practices, cleaning, and other precautions. Keep in mind, you may have to check back in about this conversation as recommendations and circumstances change. Some suggested topics include:

How often each of you needs to leave the house (and why)
Which precautions you agree to take both inside and outside the house
How to handle groceries and deliveries
New routines for regular cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched objects and surfaces in shared spaces. Think about things such as phones and remotes, as well as door handles, counters and sinks, light switches, etc.

Be detailed and specific. One of you may be more or less concerned than the other-or at a higher risk. It may be a little uncomfortable, but it’s better to discuss concerns ahead of time and prevent someone from becoming uncomfortable.

Even close friends and family can get prickly with each other when everybody’s stuck in the same house for extended periods. That’s why it’s smart to have another friendly conversation about ground rules, this time geared toward being respectful of one another’s space.

Here are a few things to consider:

Working from home and possible need for quiet during work periods
FaceTime or video-conferencing considerations (using headphones instead of speaker phone, keeping doors closed or creating a “do-not-disturb” signs, etc.)
Using shared entertainment devices, such as the primary TV, stereo system, etc
Times of day when more or less interaction is preferred.

One of the more inspiring developments we’ve seen during the COVID-19 crisis is the many creative ways people have found to entertain themselves while staying home. Try one of these ideas (or come up with your own!)

Share an exercise routine. Exercise is crucial in boosting your mood, alleviating stress and improving immune function. You might find free online classes to try!
Treat each other to an “I’ll cook” night and make it special by using your best tableware or having a fun theme.
Initiate a game night or puzzle challenge.
Have your own film festival and take turns choosing movies you love to watch together!
Binge watch a show from season 1 episode 1 together. We are big fans of Grace & Frankie, The Good Place, and The Big Flower Fight around here.

Take your time, rest, get some fresh air, and take time to connect with friends, family, and other community supports. Our partners at Silvernest have a resource library called Silver Linings