A retired physician and volunteer with SHIBA outlined a proposal to promote home sharing in Clallam County as a near‑term way to keep low‑income and older residents housed.

The presenter said home sharing “is defined as sharing part of your home with someone you are not related to,” and described a model used by services such as Nesterly that matches homeowners and tenants, performs background checks, provides contracts and takes a one‑time placement fee plus a small monthly service percentage. She said she has given nine public presentations and collected contact information from 22 people interested in hosting so far.

The idea matters because meeting participants and the presenter said the fastest‑growing group of people who need housing locally and nationally is women over 60 and other older adults with very low monthly incomes. The presenter described one case in which a person’s Social Security check was $235 a month while Medicare Part B premiums were $185, and said home sharing combined with enrollment in Medicaid enabled that person to remain housed.

Discussion at the meeting touched on program design, local partners and legal limits. The presenter summarized offerings from different providers: Silvernest (no longer operating locally, she said), SpareRoom (which she said does not provide background checks or dispute resolution) and Nesterly, which she recommended because it requires two letters of reference, runs background checks, provides contracts and “keeps 2.5 of the monthly rent,” according to her remarks. She said Nesterly charges a one‑time fee reported in other communities as between $95 and $195 and requires a partner agency and an initial roster of roughly 50 hosts before sharing full pricing and contract terms.

Several local agencies and individuals volunteered to follow up. Sharon (agency role not specified in the transcript) said she would research federal restrictions and funding paths and take the lead on checking HUD and other limits: “I will take on looking at the HUD restrictions and the housing restrictions and some of those things that might put a roadblock there,” she said. Representatives of local nonprofits and service providers said they could help identify candidates, assist with outreach and consider microloans or one‑time gap funding to cover initial costs such as first‑month rent or placement fees.

Participants raised practical questions about insurance and tenancy law. The presenter said homeowners are advised to add a room‑rental rider to their homeowners insurance and noted a recently enacted state rule referenced in the discussion that allows a 20‑day written notice for certain short‑term occupancy situations; meeting participants did not cite a specific statute number. The group also discussed the limits of landlords’ obligations under state “first qualified applicant” rules and whether homeowners’ associations or zoning would block shared housing; the presenter reported being told that single‑family residential zones could not refuse the program but said she had not confirmed that in writing.

Attendees agreed to pursue next steps offline rather than adopt a formal program that day. The group discussed forming a small subcommittee to clarify a request for support from the state commerce office and to explore partner‑agency arrangements, local promotion, use of local dispute‑resolution services and potential microloan or gap‑funding sources. Sharon and other staff volunteers said they would work with the presenter to assemble a partner‑agency proposal and a short list of legal and funding issues for a future meeting.

The meeting did not vote on or adopt any formal policy; participants described this as exploratory and directed staff and volunteers to report back with specifics about partner agreements, estimated costs and potential local funding sources.

The presenter and multiple attendees framed home sharing as one of several short‑ to mid‑term strategies to reduce housing instability while larger development and grant projects advance.

Ending: The presenter closed by asking interested homeowners to contact her via email; participants asked her to return with a refined proposal after the subcommittee and staff follow‑up.