May 20, 2025 • 10 mins
PAIRING YOUNG AND OLD TO SOLVE HOUSING PROBLEMS Is exactly what Metropolitan State University of Denver is doing in downtown Denver. I saw this article about the program that asks people over 55 who want to rent a room in their homes to take in college students who need affordable housing. I think this is a FANTASTIC idea and I've got Abbie Kell, MSU Denver associate director of Basic Needs and Housing Support on today to talk about this program at 12:30 pm. Read more about it here and here. If you're interested in renting to a student click here for more!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining me to talk about this super cool program that
Metropolitan State Go Roadrunners has to help students find housing
is Abbi Kel. She's the MSU Associate director of Basic
Needs and Housing Support. Abby, Welcome to the show. First
of all, thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
So let's talk about this program where you are helping
students find housing and you're going to an interesting source
to find it.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
But let me ask you this question first.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
MSU is more of what we would call a commuter
campus in that you don't have traditional dormitories and things
like that. So is finding housing for your students in
this extremely pricey rental market is it challenging overall?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
How does your department work on that?
Speaker 1 (00:47):
No?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
You know, MSU is always known as a commuter, commuter campus,
and it's a kind of a little bit of yes
and a kind of a little bit of no. Because
while students, even students who are considered commuter students, they
still have to have housing, they still have to have
a place to live. And we're finding more and more students,
whether they're a commuter or traditional or living closing campus,
(01:08):
are just experiencing the heavy burdis some of the high
cost of rent in Denver, and students are particularly struggling
with that because they still have to live within the
Denver market. There's really no reduced rates and costs for students,
and so we're seeing more and more every single year
of increase of students coming to us asking for resources, relocations, options,
and just general navigation on how to do this.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
So where this program that we're going to talk about
today in this Does this program have a specific name?
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Yeah, So the program is its own nonprofit. It is
called Sunshine Home Share, and so it's its own nonprofit
that we partner with to match students up with a
senior citizen in the community to live in their house,
to pay rent in their house, but also provide community
in that house as well. It's not for everyone. It's
(01:56):
not a perfect but it's definitely part of the housing
conversation we're having because not one solution is going to
fix all for our students, but it is a great
option for folks seeking an alternative.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
How an alternative option that's not just renting from a partner.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
One of the things that I don't think we do
well in this country is intergenerational living, because around the world,
intergenerational living is the standard in many countries, meaning you
may have a household with the grandmother, the parents, and
the kids grown kids under one roof, but and you'll
stay there until you get married. Kind of thing in
many countries. But I think here we're so spread out
(02:31):
and we're so independent that we lose that. So what
are some of the benefits for the young people or
for the students that may be taking advantage of this.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
You know, so far, the students that have taken advantage
of this would be kind of your non traditional students,
so would be returning to pursue a different career or
change directions. And so so far the students we've seen
are a little bit older, you know, later twenties, mid
thirties that are seeking it out. But I think the
benefits really are for both people. The benefits for the
student one is achieve a rent. They're having to save
(03:02):
a little bit money on their bills by paying a
lower coross rent.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
They're also able to connect with.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Someone in the community and then not might meet at school,
at their work and someone that also comes from a
different way of life in a background. And then also
I think it comes with the community aspect of just
I'm living in someone else's home and I am respecting
their space.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
I'm respecting this person, and.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
We're learning how to live together, and we're learning how
to thrive together as well, because while they have come
from their own situation, you know, the person in the
home who owns the home, who's sharing it with them,
can share their insights of how they got to where
they are and the growth and also even possible connections
down the line for themselves in the future.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
So, no, you're not going to just like have somebody
like say I sign up. Because I hate to say it,
you said senior citizen. I'm fifty five, so technically I'm
in this category and I'm not a senior citizen abbey.
But that being said, you're not just going to like
assign someone, right, I'm not just going to like open
up my door to a complete stranger and have no
say in that.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
How does the process work?
Speaker 4 (04:01):
No, that's a great question. You have to be super
intentional one. It's not going to be for every student.
So when I meet with students, when our case managers
meet with students, we talk them through the options of
what they have for housing. And it's usually a little
bit farther down the list for our students, and when
we get when we get to talking about it, we
really upfront the whole process with them and make sure
they understand because the Sunshine Home Share program does a
(04:25):
really intentional job of doing backgrounds, doing meet and greets.
They even do a temporary stay, so when the match
is kind of through some of the process and they're
seeing good signs, the student will actually do a two
week temporary stay with the family and the home to
see if it's actually a good fit.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And then also ongoing they do ongoing case management.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
They check in in the home, they see if things
are going well, and if things are not going well,
they're able to mitigate it, talk about it, sit down
and see what it is to help just with the
transition process.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
So it seems to me like this may be a
better fit for a more mature student. I mean, you
can be a twenty year old mature student. Everybody that
went to college knows that like the normal undergrad dorms
where all the chaos was, but the graduate dorms were
where all the calm, adult people lived.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
So it seems to me.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Like perhaps this would be a better fit for a
more mature student.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I think so. I think so.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
I think it has worked a little bit better for
some of our mature students, but I still don't shy
away for some of our younger adults who might be
more traditional in their younger twenties, because they too might
have grown up in some multi generational households. Into them,
it might seem like a good fit because that's used
the home that they're already used to, and so it's
like it's not going to be perfect for everyone. But
I think it's really just exploring the option of how
(05:39):
can I be a part of the community. How can
I help someone keep themselves in their home? How can
I also just have a cheaper rent for a couple
of years so that I can achieve my long term goals.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
WI I'm in college.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Where speaking of cheaper rent, how much cheaper? I mean
you guys have a ballpark of what people are paying
or is there a set amount?
Speaker 3 (05:58):
How does that work?
Speaker 2 (06:00):
There tends to be.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Somewhere between five and seven hundred and fifty dollars for
the student.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
That's how much they charge. It can really fluctuate based
on just like.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Where they are in the community, you know how close
they are to transportation, but generally that's where it's that
ballpark range is.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Somebody just asks, I'm guessing the students would have their
own transportation. So this is a you are renting from
a landlord. Just like you would not expect to use
your landlord's vehicle. You are going to have to provide
for yourself on everything else, your food, your transportation, and
all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Oh yeah, you would have to have your own transportation.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
But then there's pros and cons of if you don't
have transportation, seeing if there's a home share that is
close to public transportation, or if you know, if you're
a margaret commuter with a bike. In those kind of aspects,
you can always rely on those. But yes, like some
of the amenities like cars, food, household supplies like TVs
and things like that, those are separated.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Now do you have to have do you have any
say on whether or not you rent to a male
or a female?
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
And also just like people have different preferences on what
they feel safe and comfortable with the story we did
through red. Actually the homeowner that was seeking someone to
do a room share originally wanted a female, but just
through a handful of interviews, landed on the student TJ
and just felt really comfortable and safe with them.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
So you can do like preferences on who you would.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Like to reside with, because both sides want to respect
everyone's choice and safety in that and no one wants
to be uncomfortable in their home, the renter or the homeowner.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
How can people sign up?
Speaker 1 (07:30):
As I said to you off the air, Abby, I'm like,
I bet you there are people listening to the show
right now who would love the little extra and come
and maybe love the company right because when you're an
empty nester and all the kids are gone, you may
find out that you don't love living by yourself. How
can people get involved? Sign up or get more information?
Speaker 2 (07:48):
So there's a couple different ways.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
The first thing I would direct you to the Sunshine
Homeshare website, and that Sunshine Homeshare website is just Sunshinehomeshare
dot org. And you can look at the website, you
can look at the application process, you can look at
the screening on the tenant side and as well as
the homeowner side, and you can apply, or you can
also just reach out and ask questions the staff. They
are wonderful and love to talk about this program because
(08:10):
they're very passionate about it.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Well, I find it interesting.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
I was looking at their website and it says Geriatric
social Workers staff by experienced geriatric social workers that have
education and backgrounds working with homebound older adults and are
knowledgeable about social work based home sharing. So this is
not just some really nearly you know like rental site.
This is an apartments dot com. This is much more complex.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
It's an Evidence Bates model.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
So it's been researched on how it keeps, you know,
seniors in their homes. It keeps them also longer longevity
in their lifespans, and then also the support to the
tenant as well, providing a vital piece that they need
affordable housing to live in wherever they are in their life.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Abi Kel, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I love that Metro State did a story on this
because I would have never known it, and I think
it is one of the coolest programs. One of my
favorite favorite people is a lady named Hazel, and Hazel's
in her nineties now, but she has a tenant in
her home named Bill, and Bill has now become so
much more than a tenant for Hazel and I see
that relationship and that's the first thing I thought of
(09:15):
when I thought of this program, is how much they
both get from each other in terms of that relationship
that started as a tenant landlord relationship and now has
become so much more. So well done, and I hope,
I hope lots of my listeners take advantage of this.
Somebody asks, how far can they live from the college.
Is there a perimeter that you need to be within?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
No, I mean it's really.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
Just based off that again, the tenant if they're comfortable
with it, So I mean they can expand from Boulder
all the way to look Side.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
And so that's you know, that's who they're who are to.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
Be owning the homes and if the student is comfortable
with that type of commune, then the match.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Can move forward.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Abby.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Thank you so much for your time today, and thanks
Metro State for publicizing this program.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
I think it's super cool. Not just for students.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
We should say, if you go to Sunshine Home share
Colorad it's not just students, so there's lots of opportunity there.
I would urge you to check it out. Abby, Thanks
so much, for your time today.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Thank you. You have a good one all right.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
That is Abby Kel from Metropolitan State University
Joining me to talk about this super cool program that
Metropolitan State Go Roadrunners has to help students find housing
is Abbi Kel. She's the MSU Associate director of Basic
Needs and Housing Support. Abby, Welcome to the show. First
of all, thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
So let's talk about this program where you are helping
students find housing and you're going to an interesting source
to find it.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
But let me ask you this question first.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
MSU is more of what we would call a commuter
campus in that you don't have traditional dormitories and things
like that. So is finding housing for your students in
this extremely pricey rental market is it challenging overall?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
How does your department work on that?
Speaker 1 (00:47):
No?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
You know, MSU is always known as a commuter, commuter campus,
and it's a kind of a little bit of yes
and a kind of a little bit of no. Because
while students, even students who are considered commuter students, they
still have to have housing, they still have to have
a place to live. And we're finding more and more students,
whether they're a commuter or traditional or living closing campus,
(01:08):
are just experiencing the heavy burdis some of the high
cost of rent in Denver, and students are particularly struggling
with that because they still have to live within the
Denver market. There's really no reduced rates and costs for students,
and so we're seeing more and more every single year
of increase of students coming to us asking for resources, relocations, options,
and just general navigation on how to do this.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
So where this program that we're going to talk about
today in this Does this program have a specific name?
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Yeah, So the program is its own nonprofit. It is
called Sunshine Home Share, and so it's its own nonprofit
that we partner with to match students up with a
senior citizen in the community to live in their house,
to pay rent in their house, but also provide community
in that house as well. It's not for everyone. It's
(01:56):
not a perfect but it's definitely part of the housing
conversation we're having because not one solution is going to
fix all for our students, but it is a great
option for folks seeking an alternative.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
How an alternative option that's not just renting from a partner.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
One of the things that I don't think we do
well in this country is intergenerational living, because around the world,
intergenerational living is the standard in many countries, meaning you
may have a household with the grandmother, the parents, and
the kids grown kids under one roof, but and you'll
stay there until you get married. Kind of thing in
many countries. But I think here we're so spread out
(02:31):
and we're so independent that we lose that. So what
are some of the benefits for the young people or
for the students that may be taking advantage of this.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
You know, so far, the students that have taken advantage
of this would be kind of your non traditional students,
so would be returning to pursue a different career or
change directions. And so so far the students we've seen
are a little bit older, you know, later twenties, mid
thirties that are seeking it out. But I think the
benefits really are for both people. The benefits for the
student one is achieve a rent. They're having to save
(03:02):
a little bit money on their bills by paying a
lower coross rent.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
They're also able to connect with.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Someone in the community and then not might meet at school,
at their work and someone that also comes from a
different way of life in a background. And then also
I think it comes with the community aspect of just
I'm living in someone else's home and I am respecting
their space.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
I'm respecting this person, and.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
We're learning how to live together, and we're learning how
to thrive together as well, because while they have come
from their own situation, you know, the person in the
home who owns the home, who's sharing it with them,
can share their insights of how they got to where
they are and the growth and also even possible connections
down the line for themselves in the future.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
So, no, you're not going to just like have somebody
like say I sign up. Because I hate to say it,
you said senior citizen. I'm fifty five, so technically I'm
in this category and I'm not a senior citizen abbey.
But that being said, you're not just going to like
assign someone, right, I'm not just going to like open
up my door to a complete stranger and have no
say in that.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
How does the process work?
Speaker 4 (04:01):
No, that's a great question. You have to be super
intentional one. It's not going to be for every student.
So when I meet with students, when our case managers
meet with students, we talk them through the options of
what they have for housing. And it's usually a little
bit farther down the list for our students, and when
we get when we get to talking about it, we
really upfront the whole process with them and make sure
they understand because the Sunshine Home Share program does a
(04:25):
really intentional job of doing backgrounds, doing meet and greets.
They even do a temporary stay, so when the match
is kind of through some of the process and they're
seeing good signs, the student will actually do a two
week temporary stay with the family and the home to
see if it's actually a good fit.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And then also ongoing they do ongoing case management.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
They check in in the home, they see if things
are going well, and if things are not going well,
they're able to mitigate it, talk about it, sit down
and see what it is to help just with the
transition process.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
So it seems to me like this may be a
better fit for a more mature student. I mean, you
can be a twenty year old mature student. Everybody that
went to college knows that like the normal undergrad dorms
where all the chaos was, but the graduate dorms were
where all the calm, adult people lived.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
So it seems to me.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Like perhaps this would be a better fit for a
more mature student.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I think so. I think so.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
I think it has worked a little bit better for
some of our mature students, but I still don't shy
away for some of our younger adults who might be
more traditional in their younger twenties, because they too might
have grown up in some multi generational households. Into them,
it might seem like a good fit because that's used
the home that they're already used to, and so it's
like it's not going to be perfect for everyone. But
I think it's really just exploring the option of how
(05:39):
can I be a part of the community. How can
I help someone keep themselves in their home? How can
I also just have a cheaper rent for a couple
of years so that I can achieve my long term goals.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
WI I'm in college.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Where speaking of cheaper rent, how much cheaper? I mean
you guys have a ballpark of what people are paying
or is there a set amount?
Speaker 3 (05:58):
How does that work?
Speaker 2 (06:00):
There tends to be.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Somewhere between five and seven hundred and fifty dollars for
the student.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
That's how much they charge. It can really fluctuate based
on just like.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Where they are in the community, you know how close
they are to transportation, but generally that's where it's that
ballpark range is.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Somebody just asks, I'm guessing the students would have their
own transportation. So this is a you are renting from
a landlord. Just like you would not expect to use
your landlord's vehicle. You are going to have to provide
for yourself on everything else, your food, your transportation, and
all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Oh yeah, you would have to have your own transportation.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
But then there's pros and cons of if you don't
have transportation, seeing if there's a home share that is
close to public transportation, or if you know, if you're
a margaret commuter with a bike. In those kind of aspects,
you can always rely on those. But yes, like some
of the amenities like cars, food, household supplies like TVs
and things like that, those are separated.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Now do you have to have do you have any
say on whether or not you rent to a male
or a female?
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
And also just like people have different preferences on what
they feel safe and comfortable with the story we did
through red. Actually the homeowner that was seeking someone to
do a room share originally wanted a female, but just
through a handful of interviews, landed on the student TJ
and just felt really comfortable and safe with them.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
So you can do like preferences on who you would.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Like to reside with, because both sides want to respect
everyone's choice and safety in that and no one wants
to be uncomfortable in their home, the renter or the homeowner.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
How can people sign up?
Speaker 1 (07:30):
As I said to you off the air, Abby, I'm like,
I bet you there are people listening to the show
right now who would love the little extra and come
and maybe love the company right because when you're an
empty nester and all the kids are gone, you may
find out that you don't love living by yourself. How
can people get involved? Sign up or get more information?
Speaker 2 (07:48):
So there's a couple different ways.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
The first thing I would direct you to the Sunshine
Homeshare website, and that Sunshine Homeshare website is just Sunshinehomeshare
dot org. And you can look at the website, you
can look at the application process, you can look at
the screening on the tenant side and as well as
the homeowner side, and you can apply, or you can
also just reach out and ask questions the staff. They
are wonderful and love to talk about this program because
(08:10):
they're very passionate about it.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Well, I find it interesting.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
I was looking at their website and it says Geriatric
social Workers staff by experienced geriatric social workers that have
education and backgrounds working with homebound older adults and are
knowledgeable about social work based home sharing. So this is
not just some really nearly you know like rental site.
This is an apartments dot com. This is much more complex.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
It's an Evidence Bates model.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
So it's been researched on how it keeps, you know,
seniors in their homes. It keeps them also longer longevity
in their lifespans, and then also the support to the
tenant as well, providing a vital piece that they need
affordable housing to live in wherever they are in their life.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Abi Kel, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I love that Metro State did a story on this
because I would have never known it, and I think
it is one of the coolest programs. One of my
favorite favorite people is a lady named Hazel, and Hazel's
in her nineties now, but she has a tenant in
her home named Bill, and Bill has now become so
much more than a tenant for Hazel and I see
that relationship and that's the first thing I thought of
(09:15):
when I thought of this program, is how much they
both get from each other in terms of that relationship
that started as a tenant landlord relationship and now has
become so much more. So well done, and I hope,
I hope lots of my listeners take advantage of this.
Somebody asks, how far can they live from the college.
Is there a perimeter that you need to be within?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
No, I mean it's really.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
Just based off that again, the tenant if they're comfortable
with it, So I mean they can expand from Boulder
all the way to look Side.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
And so that's you know, that's who they're who are to.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
Be owning the homes and if the student is comfortable
with that type of commune, then the match.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Can move forward.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Abby.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Thank you so much for your time today, and thanks
Metro State for publicizing this program.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
I think it's super cool. Not just for students.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
We should say, if you go to Sunshine Home share
Colorad it's not just students, so there's lots of opportunity there.
I would urge you to check it out. Abby, Thanks
so much, for your time today.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Thank you. You have a good one all right.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
That is Abby Kel from Metropolitan State University
The Mandy Connell Podcast News
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