Help others find a place to call home on Bainbridge | LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Published 8:50 am Sunday, May 18, 2014

To the editor:

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama

Yesterday I actually Googled “How to get people to help people,” can you believe it? And guess what? I got some great results! One was the quote you see above, from the Dalai Lama.

How can you not read that and think to yourself “Feeling compassion for others makes everyone happy!”?

One way to feel compassion is to think about housing. The concept of housing is pretty self-explanatory, yet it can mean different things to different people. To a lot of the people I talk to every day it means a place to sleep and a place to bathe, simple stuff. Some of these people are challenged in many ways, including where to live. Some work, some are unable to work. Some would like to work if they could find a job, any job.

Most are just like you and me – trying to be good humans and be contributing members of society. And yet because of their challenges and barriers that may stand in their way they are unable to find a place to live.

That is where the HomeShare program comes in. This program, through the Housing Resources Board, can be just what someone needs to find safe, affordable housing – housing that works with their income level or lifestyle and sometimes allows them to exchange the rent for helping another person. Some folks choose the home sharing option – it fits their way of life and gives them the flexibility that allows them to live a certain way. Others have no choice – this is their only option right now.

But HomeShare isn’t just about the home seeker. The person or family sharing their housing stands to benefit also. It’s not for everyone – inviting another person into your home takes some flexibility and adaptation on the part of the home provider.

Sometimes the home provider has a separate unit – an apartment above the garage or a daylight basement going unused and full of stuff that no one looks at any more! Why not put that space to good use? Let someone use it for housing while helping you with extra income, help around the yard, home maintenance, child care or any number of services you might require!

This is a program that is gaining popularity across the nation as rents escalate and availability of units declines. Some home providers use on-line classifieds or word of mouth. Those are good options for some.

But HRB’s HomeShare program offers another level of security by providing criminal background checks on all participants. We meet the parties and shake hands, have a conversation. We make recommendations based on the application and the requirements of Home provider and Home seeker. Then – we make a referral and turn the process back over to them.

HRB is here to provide support in the form of sample rental agreements and suggestions for the configuration of the living situation but the home provider and home seeker are free to make whatever arrangement works for them.

So connect to a member of our Bainbridge Island community, make an impact, pay it forward. Think of the happiness you will feel by offering housing to someone – a real tangible benefit. Think of the happiness you will provide another individual who now has a place to call home. Think about practicing compassion.

PENNY LAMPING

Housing Resources Board