This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Homeowners and renters find ray of hope with Housemate Match

The nonprofit Housemate Match, sponsored by the Marcus Jewish Community Center, is providing a free service in the metro Atlanta area, including South Cobb, pairing homeowners with tenants to avoid foreclosure and provide safe shelter.

At a time when scores of residents nationwide are facing unemployment, foreclosures and evictions, one local nonprofit is helping homeowners find reprieve in metro Atlanta, including South Cobb.

Through Housemate Match, homeowners are matched with tenants who are seeking short- and longer-term shelter throughout the greater metro Atlanta area. Individuals or families are paired with each other by preferences of location, age and interests. Housing Counselor Lynne Dyckman, who serves Cobb County, said Housemate Match is positively altering lives.

"This is very timely if you're about to lose your home," she said.

Find out what's happening in South Cobbwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Renting a room or sharing a home with a tenant for reduced rent of up to about $500, or based on a homeowner tenant agreement, provides homeowners with extra income. The tenant appreciates a safe place to live.

For South Cobb resident, Dr. Teresa Plenge, Housemate Match assisted in finding a tenant who could help her with daily household tasks.

Find out what's happening in South Cobbwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I couldn't ask for a better housemate," said Plenge, 56, a former speech pathologist. "She's been a great match."

Born with orthopedic deformities, Plenge has severe scoliosis and a series of other debilitating health problems that eventually forced the former Cobb County School Board chairwoman into early retirement.

"I went from a schedule of working full time, being a single parent and being on the school board – having a schedule of 17 hours a day – to almost being a shut in a short time," she said.

Plenge, who worked on the county school board from 1997 through 2008, said she now uses a powered wheelchair to move about her home.

"I had been hiring people to come in to do tasks that I can't do such as laundry, loading and unloading the dishwasher and carrying groceries," she said. "It's much more helpful to have someone here instead of getting them done on a twice monthly basis."

Her housemate, Marie, had full-time employment and her own home in South Cobb as well. Within a two-year period, Marie had lost her job and eventually her home.

"It is a very helpful program," said Marie, who declined to provide her last name. "It's helped me in that I am able to find a place to stay at a reasonable rate that I can afford, and Dr. Plenge gets the help that she needs from me."

Not everyone matched has to provide care-giving services.

"It could simply be that you need a place to stay," said Marie, 46.

As a part of the house-matching process, Housemate Match conducts background and reference checks. Home inspections are conducted, checking for proper accommodations. Tenants have an opportunity to meet homeowners; and if there is a match, a contract is drawn between the two.

The average housing arrangement lasts about one year, Dyckman said.

Sponsored by the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, Housemate Match has been in existence since 1984. In-home care giving services was created in 2005 for those needing non-medical care.

Offices are located in the city of Atlanta, Dunwoody and Marietta. The non-profit, whose services are free of charge and is recognized nationally, also assists residents in Fulton, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.

"It is a very important program," Dyckman said. "A lot of homeowners are calling us because they need the income. A lot of tenants are calling us because they need a place to live."

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?