Consider an example: an older homeowner might say, "I'd share my house tomorrow if I knew who I was letting in and what we had agreed to."

She is not asking someone to choose for her. She is asking for tools she can trust: a way to confirm the person is who they say they are, a background check, a way to see whether their daily lives fit, and a written agreement that spells out the terms. With those in hand, two adults can make the decision themselves.

That structure is what makes a match work, and it is what funders can help put within reach.

What to know

KFF Health News counted roughly 55 home sharing organizations serving the entire country (KFF Health News, 2026). For a nation of 61.2 million people 65 and older (U.S. Census Bureau), that is a thin network, and many communities have no option at all.

A self-directed platform can reach people wherever they live. On HomeShare Online, HomeShare America's home sharing platform, both people complete identity verification and a background check, see a compatibility score, message each other, meet, and use a written home sharing agreement. The two people decide whether to match. No one chooses for them.

Costs are modest by housing standards. HomeShare America's analysis estimates that a shared platform license for a community runs about $7,000 in the first year and $5,000 in later years (The Missing Link). These are planning estimates; actual costs depend on how many people a community wants to reach.

Why it exists

A good match depends on steps that are easy to skip when people find each other informally: identity checks, background checks, honest conversations about daily habits, and a written agreement. Most older adults have never shared a home with someone outside the family, and they do not know where to find these tools or whether to trust them.

Funding has not caught up either. Housing money is usually organized around buildings and vouchers, and aging money around services. Home sharing uses rooms that already exist, so it can fall between the two.

Why it deserves respect

Funders are right to ask hard questions. Will older adults use a self-directed tool? What about people who are not comfortable online? How are both people protected without someone making the decision for them?

Those questions deserve direct answers. A platform should offer plain-language guidance, help with using its tools, and clear safety steps for both people. Referral partners, such as Area Agencies on Aging, faith communities, and housing counselors, can help people find the tools and understand them. Some people will want more help than a self-directed approach offers, and a good partner can point them to other local resources. It is also fair for a funder to decide the timing is not right yet.

What the evidence tells us

Home sharing uses housing that already exists. For a sense of scale, HomeShare America estimates that housing every cost-burdened older adult who rents with a voucher would cost an estimated $62.7 billion a year (The Value of a Match). That figure is an illustration of scale, not a like-for-like comparison. Home sharing will not suit every older adult who rents, and a match is not a substitute for rental assistance. It does show how small the cost of shared matching tools is next to other housing costs.

There is also a ready network of partners. According to a USAging report cited in HomeShare America's analysis, 81% of Area Agencies on Aging already provide a housing or homelessness program, but only 20% run one focused on prevention or intervention (The Missing Link). Those agencies do not need to run matches. They can refer people to trusted tools as one prevention option among several.

Results can be tracked, and they should be reported for what they are. In Oregon, where HomeShare America began, 80% of matches reported they were still stably housed six months in. That is a self-reported, program-reported outcome, not an independent evaluation, and it does not tell us what would have happened without a match. Independent evaluation would strengthen the evidence.

Ways to lower the barrier

Conversation starters

If you are an adult child or friend raising home sharing with an older adult or local leaders:

If you are an older adult talking with family, caregivers, or local leaders:

She is not asking someone to choose for her. She is asking for tools she can trust.

Home sharing and older adults

Home sharing works at any age. Older adults are one of the fastest-growing groups sharing a home with someone who is not family (Eye On Housing). Under the Census Bureau's 2023 projections, by 2029 older adults are projected to be a larger share of the population than children (U.S. Census Bureau).

Where to get help