Homeshare International supports a network of professionals worldwide who run homeshare programmes. Our aims are to encourage learning and good practice, foster new programmes and understand the impact of homesharing. We also raise awareness of what homeshare can offer as a solution to many of society’s needs.
Homesharing enables two unrelated people to share their lives for their mutual benefit. A homesharer provides support and companionship to a householder in exchange for free or low-cost accommodation. Homeshare can benefit many people with support or housing needs.
There are now programmes in 16 countries from Canada to Korea, Austria to Australia. These programmes typically match older householders with young homesharers. Homesharing builds relationships, often between two generations, recognising that people who take part have needs and something to give.
Over 140 homeshare practitioners from 11 countries attended the Fifth World Homeshare Congress in Madrid, Spain in May 2017. Alfonso Fajardo (shown here leading a workshop) and colleagues from Solidarios ran this highly successful two-day event. Read more about the Congress, including the presentations.
Our French members ensemble2générations recently visited Martinique to help them to set up the first homeshare programme in the Caribbean. e2g is very successful in France, running programmes in several cities, and it has now shared its methodology with many other countries.
Groups in Japan and Korea are now setting up pilot homeshare programmes in their countries and sent delegates to our recent congress in Madrid to network with other practitioners. Both groups are also getting support from Australia where the national umbrella body, HANZA (Homeshare Australia and New Zealand Alliance) supports not only local start-ups but also groups in the Asia-Pacific region.
We’ve now added some of the presentations as well as photos of the congress to the congress page. The photos give you a flavour of this superb event.
Homeshare International’s 20th anniversary was celebrated with a gigantic cake at the Brussels congress dinner in March 2019 and with the publication of a review of its recent work. Nurturing a global network: homeshare in action 2014-2019 summarises our recent activities and gives a snapshot of homesharing in spring 2019. We’ve come a long way in 20 years! Read the review here.
| It is with great pleasure that we announce that Homeshare International and Shared Lives Plus have partnered to continue and develop the work that Homeshare International has been undertaking so effectively for the last twenty years. Homesharing has been in the news a lot recently, reflecting its growth across the world. This is in no small measure due to the joint efforts of Homeshare International and its worldwide network, and Homeshare UK with the support of Shared Lives Plus, the UK network for shared living. Read more about the partnership. |
Our Sixth World Homeshare Congress in Brussels, Belgium, held on 21 – 22 March attracted a record 200 delegates from 17 countries – and even royalty! We were thrilled when Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians attended the opening presentations and stayed to chat to our hosts, 1toit2ages, programme coordinators, speakers and homesharers (see a photo on our Facebook page).
The two-day conference gave delegates a wonderful mix of formal presentations, panel discussions, stories from homesharers – always very moving testimonies – and networking opportunities. The papers and photos from the congress will be posted up shortly. www.hiworldcongressbrussels2019.com
Warmest thanks and congratulations to Claire de Kerautem, Regis and the 1toit2ages team for organising such a brilliant occasion!
We are delighted to report that the Municipality of Madrid has recently agreed to double the funding for the Convive programme! And Convive also won a project to expand Convive to cover four new municipalities around Madrid, financed by the Region of Madrid (Comunidad de Madrid). This will be the first time that homesharing has been offered outside the city. Convive’s aim is to reach 150 matches by June 2019.
As regards the strategy, Delphine Liegeois from Convive says: “We noticed that we are mainly reaching people who are very old and use the programme essentially for not being alone at night. So we are planning to start exploring new ways to reach younger retired people too, in order to promote active aging with older people of various profiles. We have been preparing a campaign to be launched shortly – see www.convive.org.es.“
Convive also started to collaborate with CNAV (the agency of the French Social Security managing pensions), and associations from France (Réseau COSI and International Erasmus Students Network France), and Belgium (1toit2ages) to promote homesharing between Spanish, French and Belgian retired people and Erasmus students. Working in this framework may help them to reach active retired people, willing to practice languages and meet young people from other countries. It will also contribute to spread homesharing around Europe.
The project should be developed in 2019-2021. It will include research, a guidebook on homesharing, a web platform Toi + moi for people willing to experience intercultural and intergenerational homesharing, a campaign promoting intergenerational homesharing, and diverse activities in the three countries engaging retired people and students. Convive hopes to secure funding for the project from the Erasmus programme plus the French agency.
Catch up with their latest news at the Brussels congress!
Homeshare International is a charity and is entirely dependent on donations to continue its work. Please use the “Donate” button below to make a secure donation.
UK taxpayers can increase the value of their gift by 20% under the Gift Aid scheme – click here to download a form to print, complete and return
Homeshare International is a network of professionals worldwide who run homeshare programmes.
Slideshow photos ©Elena Chebanova/Solidarios
Homesharing has many different names around the world: Homeshare • logement intergénérationnel • wohnen für hilfe • convivencia intergeneracional • Programa Convive
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