HomeShare Vermont tells Senate committee modest state buy-in yields outsized housing savings

HomeShare Vermont Director Connor Cummins told the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee in April that the nonprofit’s long‑running home‑sharing program pairs people with extra room in their homes with people seeking affordable housing and low‑cost assistance.

The program, Cummins said, has operated about 43 years and works statewide with targeted expansions planned for Windham and Windsor counties, the Northeast Kingdom and parts of Rutland. Cummins asked lawmakers to convert a $235,000 one‑time appropriation included in the House budget into ongoing base funding so the program can scale case management and outreach without later cutting matches or services.

Why it matters: HomeShare uses existing housing stock to create low‑cost units without new construction, permitting or wastewater review required under Act 250; Cummins told the committee an investment of $408,000 last fiscal year produced more than $1.3 million in estimated savings for participating households and communities.

Cummins described the model and some program details: hosts in HomeShare can be as young as the late 20s or over 100; guests’ average age is roughly late 40s; hosts may charge up to $650 per month and matches may include up to 12 hours per week of agreed‑upon assistance. “A quarter of our guests are paying no rent whatsoever,” Cummins said, describing the tradeoff between rent and hours of assistance. He added, “We don’t call it a lease, but it I mean, for all intents and purposes, probably, legally, it would stand up a lease.”

Program safeguards and scale: Cummins described screening that includes multiple background checks and reference checks, a 90‑minute interview with case managers, trial matches of roughly two weeks and ongoing check‑ins after placement. He said HomeShare employs four full‑time case managers plus one part‑time staff member in Windsor County and reported 274 people in matches as of the end of last year; quarter‑three figures were pending at the time of the briefing.

Financials and outcomes: Cummins presented HomeShare’s return on investment to the committee, saying the $408,000 investment produced roughly $1.3 million in combined rent‑savings and avoided care costs. He described the organization’s published averages (rent amounts varied by region) and said program changes this year include a higher maximum rent for standalone accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — raised to $850 per month — to better compete with short‑term rental markets. Cummins estimated the program’s cost per created housing unit at about $2,700 “give or take.”

Service delivery and partnerships: To grow without diluting services, Cummins said HomeShare is leasing part‑time case management capacity from local partners — for example, the Thompson Senior Center — and intends to place two part‑time case managers in the Northeast Kingdom, one in Windham County, and a full‑time intake/reception position in South Burlington to free outreach staff for marketing and recruitment.

Funding ask and next steps: Cummins said the House included $235,000 one‑time for HomeShare in its budget but that amount did not appear in the governor’s recommended budget. He urged the committee and appropriators to consider ongoing funding so the program can expand gradually without jeopardizing existing matches. Committee members asked for follow‑up information on caseload projections and partner MOUs; Cummins said MOUs were drafted and that training modules are ready to start if state funding is confirmed.

Provenance: Committee presentation and Q&A with Connor Cummins (HomeShare Vermont), Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee, April (transcript excerpted).