Tucson ‘Home Sharing’ allows seniors to live together, share expenses

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TUCSON, Arizona (KOLD News 13) – Two women in Tucson pave the way for a new way of aging.

Sharon Kha and Deborah Knox started Tucson Home Sharing, which began when Kha realized she could no longer stay home alone after her Parkinson’s disease worsened.

“I should have someone to live with me,” said Kha. “So I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to move in with someone who was your best friend and get through the aging process together?”

Through a mutual friend, she found Knox, who was in one place with a mortgage that was too expensive. After a few phone calls, the two decided to make the move, and Knox joined Kha at her home in the Catalina Vista neighborhood.

The concept of home sharing, or boommate, is used in some states to allow older people to stay in one house but share the expenses.

“It’s mutual friendship and the benefit of affordable housing,” said Knox.

It’s a free place for Knox to help Sharon when her caretaker is away. But having each other also helps with isolation, especially in a pandemic.

“Just having another person to share an experience like this with meant a lot,” said Kha.

Your home sharing comes on top of that, as the waiting list for rent-subsidized living space has quadrupled in the last year. For this reason, the city of Tucson is also considering changing the zoning regime to add additional residential units or small houses to a property that can be used by aging parents.

“People want to stay in their homes. Children want their parents to stay home, ”Knox said.

The hope is that others will see their success and realize that there are more options for seniors. Prove that it is always possible to start a new chapter, even at the end of the story.

“We were planning for the end of our lives and it turned out we were planning the start of a whole new adventure,” said Knox.

If you or someone you know is interested in home sharing, there is a Facebook group the two started called Tucson Home Sharing. They are also applying for a grant from the Pima Council on Aging to do more community outreach.

Copyright 2021 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved.

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