A project of Hawaiʻi Intergenerational Network, a nonprofit with IRS 501(c)(3) status.
About Hawaiʻi Intergenerational Network
Website: www.hawaiiintergenerationalnetwork.org
Our mission is to help people of all ages improve their lives by promoting and supporting intergenerational connections through programs, advocacy, action and employment.
Hawaiʻi Intergenerational Network (HIN) is a nonprofit organization with IRS 501(c)(3) status, founded in 1995. Model programs created through HIN include: Seagull Schools’ intergenerational programs, Puʻuhale Elementary School, Senior Mentoring of Special Needs Children in six public schools and Waialae Senior Fellows Program at Waialae School. Sponsors have included American Savings Bank, Atherton Family Foundation, AT&T Wireless, The Cooke Foundation, The Frear Eleemosynary Trust, G. N. Wilcox Trust, HMSA, McInerny Foundation, The State of Hawaiʻi, Sydney Stern Memorial, The University of Findlay, and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.
Homesharing Hawaiʻi is the latest project of Hawaiʻi Intergenerational Network (HIN) that addresses the issues of wellness and aging for Oahu’s senior citizens, and affordable housing for all.
Homesharing Hawaiʻi – an opportunity to help people improve their lives
The U.S. Census Bureau states that there are more than 26,000 seniors age 65 and older living alone in Honolulu. Honolulu’s residents are living longer and healthier lives resulting in a growing older population in need of new models of housing arrangements.
Housing costs in Honolulu continue to increase and are among the highest in our nation. Housing is unaffordable whether renting or buying.
Recent studies show negative health effects from social isolation and loneliness. Homesharing Hawaiʻi offers a positive opportunity to help people improve the quality of their lives considering all of these challenges by matching home owners and home seekers in a shared housing matching project. Home sharing can:
- Increase kupuna’s health, safety and well-being while developing opportunities for intergenerational community.
- Increase kupuna’s options for aging in place with the added safety of someone else in the home.
- Assist kupuna with needed tasks that could include rides, household chores and home maintenance without adding expenses.
- Provide a safe way to match home owner with home seekers, including background checks and access to dispute resolution.
- Reduce the cost of housing for home-seekers.
Home sharing projects in the U.S. have 40 years of experience and are currently providing services in more than 20 states and 13 cities in California. The National Shared Housing Resource Center (NSHRC) has developed a comprehensive guide for establishing new home sharing programs. That resource guide is the operational tool that is supporting HIN in developing this project. We are not reinventing the wheel!