Sunshine Home Share Colorado matches seniors with carefully selected roommates

Becky Brazell is an extraordinary matchmaker.

Her successful pairings are anything but boring. They move straight towards each other.

She's not matching for love, she said, but to outwit Colorado's unstable housing market and lack of options for its aging population.

Mr. Brazell is a program manager for the nonprofit organization Sunshine Home Share Colorado. The organization pairs people looking for affordable housing in the Denver metropolitan area with older residents looking for companionship, house help, and rent donations who are looking for roommates.

Colorado ranks No. 1 in the nation for housing instability for people 65 and older, according to 2021 data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The state's population of people 65 and older has more than doubled in 20 years and is projected to rise to 1.3 million by 2035. But a growing number of seniors living on fixed incomes find Colorado's poor housing market unaffordable.

“It's really sad how many seniors are stuck,” Brazell said.

Sunshine Home Share staff vets potential matches who apply through background checks and background checks. They conduct intensive interviews to determine a person's lifestyle, values, financial situation, potential roommate negotiations, and wait for fate to align to find a compatible match.

If Mr. Brazell and his colleagues suspect they have found a winning union, they will encourage referrals. If it goes well, the pair will live together for a trial period, from which the match will choose whether to terminate it or, with the help of an organization, draw up a contract that continues on a month-to-month basis. can. As long as the pair wants.

Brazell said home sharing can be more about a financial transaction than anything else, but sometimes something special happens.

In the case of Flo Phillips and Twisil Kalinga, a family was born.

“They're going to be very important to each other for the rest of their lives,” Brazell said.

joy of companionship

As the sun set on Monday, the lights dimmed in Phillips' pristine Denver home.

Phillips, who said she didn't feel comfortable sharing her age, crouched down with the blinds and curtains closed. The retired lawyer was used to quiet nights alone, and cooking dinner for one person sometimes sounded like a challenge.

But a recent addition to her home has made dinner fun again.

Laughter and the smell of pork tenderloin wafted from the kitchen as Phillips taught his new housemate, Kalinga, how to make asparagus.

Kalinga, 32, is from Malawi, an African country. She is a student at the University of Denver. She came to the United States in 2021 as a Fulbright Scholar and earned a master's degree in clinical psychology at Montclair State University in New Jersey, before moving to Colorado to pursue her Ph.D. Obtained.

She has lived in Denver for about 5 months. Because of her visa, finding work outside of a psychology internship can be difficult, making it increasingly difficult for Kalinga to pay rent in Denver, one of the most difficult housing markets in the country. was.

The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Denver in February was $1,638, according to rental management company Zillow. According to a real estate research study, Colorado's four most expensive housing markets (Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins and Greeley) are not along the coast.

And housing is not only expensive, but also in short supply. Colorado has a housing shortage of more than 100,000 units relative to its population, and nearly half of the state's housing shortage is concentrated in the Denver metropolitan area.

The scholar shared his housing concerns online on Nextdoor, where he was introduced to Sunshine HomeShare and, through the nonprofit, to Phillips.

“I really like her,” Kalinga said. “She has a great sense of humor and she's a very warm person.”

Phillips has experienced two emergencies in the past few years that left her scared. The lawyer continues to work pro bono, but he has no family in the state and relies on his friends and neighbors in times of need. Most of all, she was worried about who would look after her cat, Stashu, if something happened to her while she was home alone.

A friend suggested Phillips look into Sunshine Homeshare, and she was intrigued.

“You don't have to worry about making your home public if you post on your website that you have a place you want to share,” Phillips says. “They make my job easier because they do all the hard work. I'm very grateful for that. I'm telling everyone I know about this program.”

After a successful interview and trial period, Kalinga moved into her new home in January. Phillips bought the student a new desk for a fully furnished basement with its own living room, study area, bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette.

“I respect her.”

Sunshine Home Share Colorado Executive Director Alison Jewkowski founded the nonprofit in 2017 after working in senior services.

The program also offers free financial counseling for seniors, making it a perfect fit for Colorado, which has the third-oldest population in the country, Zhukowski said. Since 2000, Colorado's population of people 65 and older has grown faster than the state's total population, for the first time in the state's history, according to the state Department of Vital Statistics.

“There are a lot of seniors who are struggling to pay their property taxes, who are stuck in large homes and can’t downsize,” Zhukovskyy said. “They just have nowhere to go and are struggling financially. They're not saving for retirement, and there's a huge lack of affordable housing across the state. It's a win-win: it helps people stay in place, helps them access services as they age, and provides them with affordable housing.”

People looking for a home don't have to be young. In fact, Zhukovsky said he often sees applicants in their 50s or 60s who have been divorced and need a place to live on a tight budget.

Unlike many Sunshine participants, Phillips didn't join the program for the money. She only charges Kalinga $200 a month in rent.

Phillips signed up for peace of mind and, as a bonus, found a new family member.

“She treats me like her own daughter,” Kalinga said. “I respect her as her mother. I also know that she is watching over me because her family is not here.”

If Stash's portrait on the mantle didn't properly convey the rules of his roost, his two housemates who fawned over him as he wagged their bushy tails did. I was telling you.

Stash quickly warmed to Kalinga, who was excited about getting a pet cat. Phillips joked that Stash now has two mothers.

Kalinga and Phillips said they connected immediately. Phillips immigrated to Australia for a time when he was young. She understands what it's like to move to another country without anyone knowing. They learn from each other and have fun laughing about cultural differences.

Phillips cooks for them every night, and Kalinga cleans up after dinner. Kalinga watched his first Super Bowl as Phillips explained the rules and importance of the day. Ms. Phillips has introduced Ms. Kalinga to her friends and is slowly but surely integrating her into the community.

“I enjoy being with her,” Phillips said. “She's respectful. She's funny. She talks about a lot of things, but it's easy. I don't think I could have done as well as this organization has done for me.”

My debts were paid and I started a family.

Phillips and Kalinga aren't the only happy customers.

Sunshine Home Share Colorado has played 95 successful games in metro Denver since its inception.

Jordan Vermeer, now 33 years old, is one of those combinations. Vermeer currently lives in a home in Denver with his wife, a feat he says was only possible thanks to Sunshine Homeshare.