Home Sharing for Happier Living

People looking for sociable, economical, and harmonious housing can find opportunities to choose where and with whom to live through our partnerships with community, cultural and religious organizations. At monthly Housing Mixers sponsored by host organizations in their communities, people can gather to explore a wide range of housing options. There, they will meet others and can find those with common interests and compatible lifestyles.

Single parents, seniors, people with disabilities, millennials who moved back home, and those who enjoy a communal lifestyle could especially benefit from living with people they enjoy and respect. Housing Mixers are low-risk opportunities to meet others, get a sense of who you enjoy, and be able to choose where and with whom to live. If you are curious about alternative housing arrangements, attending #HousingMixers will expose you to a broader range of choices. 

Those who want to form households together will be supported by licensed social service professionals, who will ensure that they evaluate their options wisely and who can provide training in effective communication, the foundation of harmonious living.

We will check, vet and vouch for applicants to assure landlords that rents will be paid on time and properties are cared for.

This is a collaborative project of the Chicago Sustainability Leaders Network and partners JoLynn Doerr, an early pioneer of Prairie Onion Cohousing, and Timothy Heppner, executive director of Ecotelligent Design, which is dedicated to sustainability - both living and teaching. 

Types of housing: Professional Homes managed by Professional Homemakers, non-familial home sharing, dormitory housing.

Solicit invitations to speak at community, cultural and religious organizations with the goal of facilitating monthly Housing Mixers.
Develop relationships with host organizations. Identify and train liaison teams to help members navigate the system and the process when it is implemented.

For many people, living in a nuclear family or single family home is a fragile foundation that does not meet the needs of today's reality and lifestyles.Securely housed communities are healthier, stronger and have the breathing room and the motivation to make their communities sustainable, resilient, supportive places to live. 

Families struggling to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads are often gone from home far too long. Living with trustworthy others to pick up children from school, have meals ready when people get home, help with homework, provide access to a car, are tangible improvements. Eliminating the cost of day care, and the time it takes to pick up and drop off, would be a big help.