Homeshare: Reduces Loneliness & Improves Mental Health

According to Age UK, more than 2 million people in England over the age of 75 live alone and more than a million older people say they go over a month without speaking to a friend, neighbour or family member.

For some older people living alone, life can be a challenge. You may be single or widowed, may not have family as close as you would like or with the time to visit or support as much as would be ideal. You might not feel quite as independent as you once were, perhaps a little unsteady on your feet, or your memory is starting to decline. But you’re not at the point where you need, or perhaps want, to look at care options - whether that’s residential or full time in-house care, which can be prohibitively expensive.

And loneliness isn't just a challenge for older people: people under 30 are over two times as likely to report feeling lonely than those over 70 (source: ONS April 2023). Loneliness is a major factor in negative physical and mental health while Homeshare helps tackle loneliness and improves your health. Set up by social enterprise Two Generations, we're committed to helping tackle these challenges through Homeshare.

Hear from our Homesharers about how Homeshare transforms their lives in this video on our youtube channel: How Homeshare Helps Tackle Loneliness

How Homeshare Helps

A ‘Homeshare’ brings together two people, often from different generations. It helps the Householder, typically an older person or someone living with a disability, feel safe, gain companionship and continue to live independently at home. It helps the Sharer, typically a mature student, hybrid worker or key worker, feel they are helping in their community in exchange for an affordable housing option. 

The Sharer moves into the householder’s home after going through a bespoke vetting, selection and matching process. Safeguarding is our priority and we have a stringent vetting process for our Sharers, including detailed application forms, phone and video interviews, obtaining references and ensuring all sharers pass an Enhanced DBS (police check)- all of which is very similar to a process you would go through to bring a carer into the home. 

Householders and their families have several opportunities to meet sharers before any Homeshare begins - often including a trial weekend stay. And two Generations is on hand to manage the Homeshare throughout, so we're a point of contact for any queries for Householders, their families and their Sharers.

How Homeshare Works

A householder should have a spare room and be willing to welcome a sharer into their home to live as if part of the family. Sharers are not carers as so cannot provide any personal care such as bathing or medication. 

Sharers provide overnight companionship and help around the home (not personal or medical care) which is typically around 10 hours per week. This could include things like cooking, laundry, light cleaning, gardening, helping the Householder get out and about to local events and clubs. Homesharers are often in place helping alongside other professional care as well.

The Householder and Sharer each pay Two Generations a monthly support fee. Householders pay £99 per month to reflect the hours of support from their sharer and Homesharers pay as little as £300-£400 per month for significantly reduced accommodation costs in return for their hours of support. These fees also cover the costs of setting up and supporting the Homeshare throughout. If this is too much for the budget, we have a bursary fund available to make sure no-one misses out on a Homeshare.

Get Help With Homeshare Today

You can refer someone to us directly through Joy or they can get in touch with us at contact@twogenerations.co.uk or give us a call on 0333 344 7738 and we can start helping overcome loneliness today. For more information, visit our website at https://twogenerations.co.uk/