At any given time, 50 to 70 matches of people looking for a housemate and other people looking for housing and willing to help out are brought together by HomeShare Vermont, spokesperson Ric Cengari tells Vermont Daily Chronicle at the Vermont State House last week. Cengari, a well-known radio talk show host who retired from WDEV last year, was speaking to lawmakers and media in the Card Room on behalf of HomeShare Vermont.
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I was a HomeShare participant in my late 20’s and the experience was very good. My home owner was 85. She became one of my best friends, and the opportunity lasted three years (until I got married). HomeShare Vermont provided the introduction, the placement and follow up, and timely check-ins. As someone who was in VTARNG, I appreciated having a rooming situation that was drug-free and party-free (hard to find with peers my own age). Yes – there was a curfew, rules, work requirement, and some pay, but, to this day, it was the absolute best roommate situation I ever had in my life.
I believe there was a limit of $400 per month to the homeowner. Might have changed. And only one home-sharer per homeowner.
What could go wrong here?? I’d personally advise native Vermonters to steer clear of potential roomies from locales such as ‘Da Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Hartford, Springfield, etc. But of course, I must be a racist, or a sexist, or a New Yawk-ist or something. What I actually am is an anti-criminalist – or in other words I’m not an official member of the Sarah George Fan Club.
One draw back I can think of is the education property tax. Anyone with low income, especially older folks living on Social Security, who pay education property taxes in VT, and who benefit from a homestead tax adjustment, should calculate the impact of extra income before signing on.