The city of Durango frequently emphasizes the need for creative and innovative solutions to the housing crisis that is squeezing residents’ pocketbooks.
Now, Durango resident and Community Health Action Coalition member Liza Tregillus is leading a novel approach to “homesharing” – a living arrangement in which two or more unrelated people share a house or apartment – for putting roofs over people’s heads.
She calls her idea the Southwest Homeshare Program, which uses the online nonprofit platform HomeShare Online to match people seeking living spaces with homeowners looking for housemates in the digital age.
The concept borrows from dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble and OKCupid in which users create profiles with biographies and photos in the hopes of finding their perfect partner (or at least a good time).
“It’s like a Match.com for roommates,” Tregillus said.
But instead of dating or romance, HomeShare Online aims to match people who are simply compatible with living together, and the users get to set their own social contracts.
Do they want to live with someone they can see themselves being friends with? Are they looking to put a roof over someone’s head out of goodwill, but they aren’t sure where to start? Or do they simply have an extra room to rent out?
Tregillus said HomeShare Online users can make profiles in which they describe their lifestyles and what they are looking for in a housemate or housemates.
But there’s just one problem: Not many homeowners are using the app.
She’s looking to change that by spreading the word and generating excitement for a new tool to get people housed. She wants at least 10 homeowners online before she launches the Southwest Homeshare Program, which will serve to help organize listings and perform outreach.
“You can look at Denver and see listings, you can look at Portland, Oregon, and see listings, but you’re not going to see them in Durango yet because it’s new and we’re just planting a seed,” she said.
She said HomeShare Online has had the most success in Oregon, enough to warrant public funding from the state. But she wants to avoid the situation that initially occurred there, in which a lot of early hype was generated for the program, but when prospective housemates went to use the platform, they discovered very few homeowners using the platform.
“We don’t want to get everybody excited and then a bunch of people looking for housing get on and then they’ve wasted their time,” she said. “I invite seekers (to) certainly do a profile. But they need to understand … their profile will only be seen by actual people who have rooms.”
Why should homeseekers use HomeShare Online instead of established Facebook groups or well-known real estate apps and websites such as Zillow, Realtor.com or Redfin?
Tregillus said homeowners have more flexibility and privacy.
Homeowners can choose whether to feature photos of their homes, yards, spare bedrooms and shared spaces. And the profile-building aspect of HomeShare Online allows homeowners and homeseekers to communicate their specific needs and ideal situation.
Perhaps an aging homeowner has a spare, unneeded bedroom, and what they really need is help with household chores or a lift to an appointment every so often. The flexibility and the customization is the point, Tregillus said.
“It’s up to the homeowner to paint any picture they want,” she said, offering the example: “’I would like somebody who works and is in school and is almost never here. If you just need a place to sleep, that’s me.’”
Or, a homeowner can say in his or her profile they would love to have somebody around the house. The app could prove useful for people who are disabled or people who are simply lonely to find housemates who would pair well with them.
It’s also a possible way to make use of homes in and around Durango that homeowners use only seasonally.
And the agreements between users are totally up to them, Tregillus said.
She has talked with area housing officials, including people from Durango Community Development, Housing Solutions for the Southwest, the Durango Business Improvement District and other entities. Reception has been generally positive. But community interest in the program has yet to be really tested.
If you go
A second meeting to gauge interest in the Southwest Homeshare Program and HomeShare Online is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Durango Public Library, 1900 East Third Ave.
A meeting to gauge interest for the Southwest Homeshare Program last month at the Durango Public Library had only two attendees, Tregillus said. But she remains optimistic that if more people knew about the housing tool, it would gain traction.
People who have tried homesharing have found it to be a pleasant and convenient experience, she said. Now it’s time to take it digital.
Durango homeowner Bonnie Ward said she moved back into her family home after going through a divorce. It’s a large home and it felt so empty living there alone. But at the same time, she was apprehensive about getting a housemate because at that point she was used to living by herself.
“You just never know who you’re going to get,” she said. “You kind of get worried also that if it doesn’t work out, are we going to be able to part OK?”
Ward said she learned from colleagues that a teacher in Durango needed a place to stay. Still apprehensive, she decided she’d try out homesharing. She and the teacher had at least one thing in common – their education backgrounds.
“When she first got here, I said, ‘I don’t want a roommate,’” she said. “I just really needed some space to myself.”
But they hit it off well.
“I like her so much. I’m like, ‘Well, you can come up here sometimes.’ So yeah, we ended up really liking each other, and it’s worth it 100%. There’s been nothing bad about it,” she said.
They started their arrangement with a three-month lease. After that, because things were going so well, they switched to a monthly lease.
“I wouldn’t want her to live here if she didn’t want to,” she said. “I wouldn’t want her to be here and she wouldn’t want to be here if things weren’t working out. ... So we just go month-to-month, and she’s happy, I’m happy.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
