It's like ride sharing, but this will certainly take Toronto seniors and Millennials on a way more interesting journey.
Seniors can now share their homes with students as part of a new project, called Home Share, introduced by the City of Toronto.
While it is similar to ridesharing, instead of using someone's car, you can use their home: you will live in it and contribute to their household.
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Affordable housing is a crisis in Toronto and one of the greatest issues affecting our city. This project aims to help with affordability and strengthening the community as a whole.
Anyone 55 or over can rent out a room in their home to a student in need of affordable housing.
Rent will run about $300 to $600 a month. The students will also need to contribute to the home five to seven hours a week. This can be done through work around the house or even sharing a meal with their senior host.
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To participate, seniors must provide information about themselves, their home and their expectations of the experience. Someone from the project will pair the seniors with the students, but homeowners will get final say when it comes to their new tenant.
This program is not the first of its kind, but it is a first for the City of Toronto. Similar programs have already been implemented in Hamilton and the Halton area.
This project is in pilot mode for now. But if it's successful, it could be groundbreaking in helping with housing affordability in Toronto — and community building.
