Shared housing goes up as economy goes down

By Leah Weissman

The Beaverton Valley Times, Dec 4, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

As the economy continues to slump, people are finding creative ways to stretch their paychecks to make monthly mortgage payments. Some have put themselves on tight food budgets while others have all but given up driving.

According to Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon’s Shared Housing Program, one tactic people are turning to is shared housing – renting out rooms in their homes for some extra cash to people who need a roof over their head.

“We’ve definitely seen an increase for shared housing during these tough economic times,” said MariRuth Petzing, coordinator for the Portland program. “Getting an extra $400 to $500 dollars by renting out a room makes a huge difference on mortgage payments.”

The Shared Housing Program has walk-in interview sites throughout Washington County where homeowners and potential renters can sign up with staff and be matched with a person or family that best suits his or her housing needs.

Unlike Craigslist where people simply list rent ads, Petzing said the program’s method is much more stringent. Participants must go through an interview process, have a criminal background check and fill out several questionnaires so program staff can match renters and homeowners with similar requirements. That can include everything from no pets to needing extra help around the house.

“A lot of times we hear ‘I want someone I can eat dinner with,’” Petzing said. “I have one gentleman who is really homebound and wants a renter who will play board games with him.”

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