Home Sharing in Los Altos: How it works and Benefits for Homeowners

Home Sharing in Los Altos: How it Works and Benefits for Homeowners.
 
Join the Affordable Housing Working Group for a panel discussion, Tuesday, April 2, at the Los Altos Library, 7-8:30 pm, doors open at 6:30.
 
The need is clear; we have a housing crisis. People are commuting too far to work in Los Altos and that is damaging our quality of life. Our seniors need health care workers, our kids need teachers, and we all need the many people who work right here in Los Altos and make Los Altos the special place we love so much. Home sharing is one tool in the tool kit that can help provide housing. We have well over 10,000 homes in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills and many of these homes have spare bedrooms.
 
Susan Castillo with Catholic Charities will describe their proven program that matches people needing rooms with homeowners. The program offers background checks and it matches people based on their interests and needs. There is a financial benefit to the homeowner of course, but many people enjoy the socialization that comes with sharing a home, and knowing that it helps solve a very real community problem.
 
Barbara Liedtke, HIP Housing's Senior Home Sharing Coordinator has over 27 years of experience at HIP Housing and will tell us how they have created 'a place to call home' for thousands of people in San Mateo County.
 
Thuy Nguyen, President Foothill College will talk about the impact of the housing crisis on Foothill students. A recent survey showed that 19% of community college students have experienced homelessness. This doesn't mean they are sleeping on the street, but they are sleeping in their cars, in RVs or relying on friends for a spare bed or couch. Home sharing can help Foothill students.
 
Kathryn Fisk, Chief Human Relations Officer at El Camino Hospital will talk about the impact of the housing crisis on the health care community and the challenges she faces with staffing.
 
Erin Green, Director of Student and Staff Services at LASD will talk about the impact on our schools and the challenges she faces with teacher and staff hiring and retention.
 
Rachael Bruketta, HubHaus project manager will talk about an innovative co-living approach to housing that is similar to home sharing, but different. It has the potential to provide quite a bit of housing.

Come to the talk, find out how these programs work, get your questions answered and show your support for solving the housing crisis.