Matchmaking
What is Matchmaking?
Matchmaking involves assisting house hunters to find available spaces in co-living spaces. These services include screening, matching, and ongoing mediation. Matchmaking can allow seniors to remain living in their home, but also receive help, either financial or with chores, as well as companionship.
Approaches Met
Help seniors age-in-place
Matchmaking can help seniors to rent extra space to caregivers, or provide a revenue source to allow seniors to remain in their current homes.
Develop housing options for seniors to age-in-community
Matchmaking can help seniors to find housing options within their community that meet their needs.
Facilitate multigenerational and shared housing
Matchmaking helps to facilitate shared housing by finding tenants for available rooms.
Keep seniors physically and socially connected
Caregivers or tenants can help provide social interaction to seniors.
Create a range of price options for housing
Matchmaking is used for shared housing, which is often lower priced than single family occupied homes.
Make it Happen
Municipalities can assist with the establishment and outreach of matchmaking organizations and refer potential residents to these organizations. Additionally, municipalities can ensure that zoning allows unrelated persons to reside together.
Matchmaking in Practice
Affordable Living for the Aging (ALA)
ALA matches two or more unrelated persons to share a home in exchange for rent or services such as cleaning or cooking. Housing providers are usually older adults and can be either homeowners or renters. The program pre-screens housing seekers, executes a roommate agreement, and monitors the matches. The average age of housing providers is 75, the average age of housing seekers is 65.
Online Bulletin Services
Services such as Craigslist have enabled users to post and find available rooms. Seniors may have less familiarity and comfortability with these services and may need a more tailored service.
Find Out More
Making Room, AARP Discussion and examples on matchmaking services.