Homeshare

As Homeshare to describe projects in many university towns where students have a room in the house of seniors in need of care or families and for household, garden or help otherwise.

Origin

The first German project of this type was established in 1992 in Darmstadt and was honored in 1995 by the then Minister for Family Affairs Claudia Nolte. The idea goes back to the fact that in many cities great lack of finanzierbarem housing for students there ( in Germany, for example, in Munich or Freiburg), but that at the same time, many people in these cities are in need of help for various reasons and this without problems for a room or a granny flat can provide.

Assistance

The project thrives on the collaboration of old and young people or even by students and families. The type of assistance is up to this individual agreements. The most common are things like gardening, home help and child care, but also the completion of administrative paperwork, driver service and support in all correspondence or on the computer. The conditions in order to avoid disputes wherever possible from the outset to keep accurate records in a contract, especially, are how many hours to provide assistance if the rent is so completely settled or whether an additional payment is required. As a rule of thumb one hours help per month for one square meter of living space. Usually incidental charges will be paid separately.

Mediation

The intermediary function is assumed in general, the students work on site or social institutions. In general, both parties first fill out an extensive application form in which they write down wishes and requirements of the other as well as the assistance that offer the student or required by the seniors or families. It is important that both parties take enough time to get to know. Experts recommend several times to make before signing the rental agreement, in order to assess the compatibility of their own desires and expectations realistic with those of the other person can.

Possible Problems

Especially at the beginning of cohabitation is becoming more common conflicts. Older participants have difficulties to share their privacy after a long period of living alone. Students report stresses due to the commitments they enter into with respect to the seniors and families. As in any residential community, there is also potential for conflict with respect to different notions of visit frequencies, noise or cleanliness. Nevertheless, " Homeshare " often longer stock than in a classical student apartment residential communities in the project: average of two to three years, the residents live, according to a survey in the project " Living for Help " together.

" Living for Help " in other countries

In the English-speaking area similar models can be found as Home Sharing. In Switzerland, the social housing project ConvivaPlus.ch offers "Living for help " to bring together affordable living spaces for apprentices and home help for seniors and families. In total there are comparable housing projects except in Germany and Switzerland still in New Zealand, USA, Canada, Belgium, France, Italy and Spain.