Illustrating the Potential of House-Sharing in St. John’s
End Homelessness St. John’s (EHSJ) contracted Hub Solutions to explore best practices in housing and house-sharing projects to inform the development of a housing model that can meet the needs of low-income individuals in St. John’s, NL.
Client
End Homelessness St. John’s (EHSJ)
Roles
Literature review
Data review
Model scan
Data analysis
Deliverables
Report with recommendations
About the Project
In St. John’s, there was the need and potential for innovative housing solutions- such as house-sharing arrangements- to address the affordable housing needs of low-income individuals and families. This project was developed as a response to the shift in the housing sector, where the housing stock needs to meet rental applicants’ needs. It explored best practices in housing and house-sharing projects to inform the development of three housing model options that meet the needs of low-income individuals in St. John’s.
The three house-sharing models assessed in this project were:
- community agency in partnership with social housing providers;
- community agency using their housing stock; and
- community agency in partnership with the private rental market.
What We Did
Using a qualitative approach, Hub Solutions conducted a study to better understand the concept of house-sharing in Canada and internationally. We reviewed academic and grey literature about house-sharing, focusing on the benefits and challenges of house-sharing and policy and legislative considerations.
We then conducted a full scan of house-sharing models within and outside of Canada. The scan identified 92 house-sharing models and revealed information about the target population, recruitment, and matching processes, key responsibilities for operators, challenges faced, and funding structures. In-depth interviews with representations were conducted with the following six groups:
- EHSJ,
- Regulatory/Planning Authority,
- Community partners,
- Social Housing Providers,
- Landlords/Developers, and
- Indigenous Housing Stakeholders.
As a result, the interviews provided an opportunity to gather more insight and data on house-sharing models.
Results
We found that house-sharing has various benefits for house-sharers, as it increases affordability, reduces pressure on the housing market, facilitates housing stability, promotes companionship, and reduces social isolation and loneliness.
Our research findings also revealed the multiple opportunities for house-sharing program implementation in St. John’s. House-sharing does not only help with the needs of low-income individuals and families, it can also help individuals overcome loneliness and develop a sense of community.
