In one case, a student agreed to cook dinner each night for the elderly homeowner and received free rent in exchange. A neat thing about using a home-sharing program is that the coordinator screens prospective roommates, making the whole process a little less dicey than taking an ad in the classifieds. The matching process takes about eight weeks. The coordinator interviews the homeowner, asking about personal preferences and special needs. A similar interview is conducted with prospective roommates.
Matches can last for as short a period as three months or as long as three years.
Some roommates become good friends. Others have a detached but cordial relationship. It all depends on the individuals involved. Many homeowners like the sharing arrangement so much that they have had a number of successive, and successful, matches. The coordinator stays involved to some extent.