HomeShare Vermont — How Intergenerational Home Sharing Works

Your mother lives alone in a four-bedroom house in rural Addison County. She does not need a nursing home or even an assisted living residence, but she needs someone who can carry groceries upstairs, shovel the walkway before ice forms, and be present if she falls at 2 a.m. You live three hours away in Boston. Hiring a home care aide at Vermont's average of roughly $45 per hour is financially brutal for what amounts to light household support and overnight peace of mind.

HomeShare Vermont addresses exactly this gap. It is an independent nonprofit organization that matches homeowners — typically older Vermonters who have extra space — with housemates who provide agreed-upon help in exchange for reduced rent or, in some cases, free housing.

How the Matching Process Works

HomeShare Vermont conducts face-to-face interviews with both the home provider and the prospective housemate. Staff assess compatibility across practical concerns: schedules, pets, noise tolerance, dietary preferences, and the specific help the homeowner needs. Background checks are run on all applicants.

Once a match looks promising, both parties meet — usually at the homeowner's residence — to discuss terms in person. If everyone agrees, they sign a written living-together agreement that spells out exactly what services the housemate will provide (meal preparation three nights a week, yard work, driving to appointments), what the rent arrangement is, and how either party can end the arrangement with notice.

The program remains involved after placement. A HomeShare coordinator checks in periodically to mediate any friction before it becomes a dealbreaker.

What Housemates Typically Provide

Home sharing is not a clinical care arrangement. Housemates are not licensed aides, and they do not provide medical services, medication management, or hands-on personal care like bathing or toileting. The exchange is practical and domestic:

• Light housekeeping and meal preparation
• Snow removal and yard maintenance
• Transportation to grocery stores, appointments, or social events
• Companionship and overnight presence
• Pet care when the homeowner is away

If your parent needs actual clinical support — wound care, physical therapy, medication administration — home sharing complements rather than replaces those services. A housemate can handle the daily logistics while a home health agency delivers the skilled nursing visits.

Who It Works For (and Who It Does Not)

The program works well for older adults who are cognitively intact but physically slowing down. The typical home provider is a widowed homeowner in their 70s or 80s who is safe at home but would benefit from regular in-house support and human connection.

It is not designed for someone with moderate-to-advanced dementia, significant behavioral challenges, or medical needs that require around-the-clock supervision. If your parent's care needs have escalated to the point where they qualify for Vermont's Choices for Care Highest Needs group — meaning they need extensive daily help with critical activities like toileting, transfers, or eating — home sharing alone will not be sufficient.

How It Fits Into the Broader Care Spectrum

Many families use HomeShare Vermont as a bridge strategy. Your parent is not ready for assisted living, and full-time home care at $8,580 per month is excessive for someone who primarily needs companionship and light household help. Home sharing fills the intermediate zone at a fraction of the cost.

When needs eventually escalate beyond what a housemate can provide, the transition to formal care services — whether in-home care through Choices for Care, an assisted living residence, or a residential care home — is the natural next step. The Vermont elder care planning guide walks through that full progression, from recognizing early decline through Medicaid eligibility and facility selection.

Getting Started

Contact HomeShare Vermont directly. The program operates across much of the state, though availability varies by region. Chittenden County typically has the most active pool of both providers and seekers, while rural areas in the Northeast Kingdom and southern Vermont may have longer wait times for compatible matches.

There is no fee to apply, but a successful match has a one-time, income-based fee of $60 to $500 for each party. The ongoing financial arrangement is the rent agreement between homeowner and housemate, which the program helps negotiate but does not subsidize.

If your parent's situation is more complex — they need help understanding Medicaid eligibility, comparing care settings, or navigating hospital discharge — the complete Vermont care decision guide covers the full regulatory and financial landscape, including Choices for Care tiers, the five-year look-back, and facility quality checks.

See more Vermont guides →