Shared Group Housing

Shared group housing is a unique living arrangement that meets a variety of needs for its residents. This living arrangement involves three or more unrelated individuals living together in a traditional single-family dwelling. Residents each have individual sleeping space but share common spaces, such as the kitchen and living areas. Depending on the home, residents may also share bathing facilities. In shared group housing, residents live together as a family in the home and jointly agree upon the operation and maintenance of the household. Management of the home may include the employment of individuals to assist with specific household tasks, such as meal preparation, house cleaning, lawn care, and general upkeep of the home. In addition, there may be a full or part-time manager to help with the day-today operations of the home. Residents of the home, however, set and make the rules cooperatively about how the household will operate.

Often, shared group housing is agency sponsored, usually by nonprofit groups such as religious organizations. This type of housing arrangement may have government sponsorship as well. In such a situation, the agency owns the residence and hires the staff that carries out the household tasks. Residents of the home pay rent to the agency but are allowed much autonomy in the running of the household.

When focusing on shared housing, it is important to clarify some definitions. Shared group housing has similar characteristics to another type of shared living arrangement referred to as shared housing or home sharing, but it is distinctively different on a number of points. Shared housing and home sharing may consist of as few as two individuals living together. Like the group alternative, the individuals live together as a household, but generally one person owns the home and the other pays rent or barters jobs or services in exchange for living in the home. Home sharers may use the assistance of an agency to “match” individuals in this type of arrangement; they usually do not employ individuals to assist with the running or management of the household.