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Housing committee pitches a HomeShare pilot to create low‑cost housing using existing homes
Summary
The housing committee urged the board to seed a HomeShare pilot modeled on Ulster County’s program: a mediated matching service that pairs homeowners and home seekers for below‑market lodging in exchange for help or companionship. Committee chair David Soal estimated per‑unit startup costs and asked for initial funding and staff support.
The Red Hook Housing Committee on Wednesday presented a HomeShare pilot proposal designed to expand affordable housing by pairing homeowners who have spare rooms with vetted home seekers. David Soal, the committee chair, told the Town Board the program is a "high‑touch, highly vetted" model that Ulster County and the Family of Woodstock have used to create stable long‑term placements.
Soal said the Ulster County example is small but effective: "the director of that program...cited a $3,000 per unit cost," he said, adding that the program typically requires a part‑time coordinator to handle intake, matching, and monitoring. The committee emphasized this is not a simple digital matching service; instead, it involves background checks, staged trial stays and supervised placement to limit liability and improve outcomes.
Committee members said potential home seekers include students and others with limited housing options, while the homeowner pool often skews older or ‘‘aging in place’’ residents who want supplemental income or companionship. The committee proposed a pilot staffed at roughly a 10‑hour‑per‑week coordinator role funded partly by the town and vetted community partners, and asked the board to consider seed funding and staff assistance for outreach and program design.
Board members asked about logistics: who performs background checks, how matches are supervised, and whether local nonprofit partners could host the program rather than the town. The committee said Family of Woodstock’s program director (Janice Lamada) operates out of a nonprofit office and that a similar fiscal or operational partnership could work here. Members also discussed potential participants from Bard College and how the program could link with Hudson River Housing or other local agencies.
Next steps: the housing committee will prepare a more detailed, costed pilot plan for the board, including a proposed job description, budget and draft intake/matching protocol; board members encouraged continuing outreach to potential nonprofit partners.
