Bainbridge HomeShare program fills a need for affordable housing

By Tristan Baurick

Kitsap Sun
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — A Bainbridge affordable-housing group wants homeowners to rethink a housing arrangement they likely abandoned in college.

Taking on a roommate benefits both owner and renter — especially during hard economic times, according to the Housing Resources Board (HRB), which manages the county's only roommate-matching program.
HRB program specialist Penny Lamping said a roommate can help cover a mortgage, provide companionship and chip in on house chores. In return, the homeowner provides below-market-rate housing for a person hit by hard times.

"Some people take a roommate because they have a big house to themselves and they want to share," Lamping said. "Some do it to exercise a social consciousness."

HRB's roommate-matching program, called HomeShare, was created two years ago, but it's getting renewed emphasis as the gap widens between the typical rental rate and the amount people can afford.
"We're getting phone calls all the time, but they can only afford $200 to $500 (per month)," said HRB Executive Director Ken Balizer.

Even the homes HRB manages are typically beyond that range.
HRB is also trying to boost the HomeShare program because the city greatly reduced its financial support, making it difficult for HRB to build new homes or lower the rent on existing ones.

HRB conducts background checks on rental applicants and matches them with homeowners, thereby streamlining and easing the search process for both parties.

Bainbridge homeowner Holly Hall has been renting a room to a young woman for the last 15 months.
"I lived by myself and really wasn't using half my house, so I thought it was worth a try," she said. "It's really worked out well so far."

Until recently, HRB board member Kim Hendrickson rented a room to a Peruvian woman. The arrangement took some financial pressure off Hendrickson's family and gave her kids an early introduction to Spanish, she said.
Hall said opening one's home to a renter isn't without sacrifices. Sometimes chores go undone, and a previous renter had trouble paying the rent during a family emergency.

"You have to be clear and articulate in terms of rent and house cleaning," she said.

Some renters do maintenance, pet watching or provide in-home care for elderly homeowners to supplement rent.
HRB has a list of nearly 20 people seeking homes through the HomeShare program. The list of homeowners offering a room is nearly as long, but HRB is having trouble finding homeowners who will go lower than $600.
Hall said the monthly income is nice, but she doesn't expect it to make her rich.
"It's not about the income," she said. "It's about doing something good for somebody else."

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Bainbridge HomeShare program fills a need for affordable housing

By Tristan Baurick

Kitsap Sun
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — A Bainbridge affordable-housing group wants homeowners to rethink a housing arrangement they likely abandoned in college.

Taking on a roommate benefits both owner and renter — especially during hard economic times, according to the Housing Resources Board (HRB), which manages the county's only roommate-matching program.
HRB program specialist Penny Lamping said a roommate can help cover a mortgage, provide companionship and chip in on house chores. In return, the homeowner provides below-market-rate housing for a person hit by hard times.

"Some people take a roommate because they have a big house to themselves and they want to share," Lamping said. "Some do it to exercise a social consciousness."

HRB's roommate-matching program, called HomeShare, was created two years ago, but it's getting renewed emphasis as the gap widens between the typical rental rate and the amount people can afford.
"We're getting phone calls all the time, but they can only afford $200 to $500 (per month)," said HRB Executive Director Ken Balizer.

Even the homes HRB manages are typically beyond that range.
HRB is also trying to boost the HomeShare program because the city greatly reduced its financial support, making it difficult for HRB to build new homes or lower the rent on existing ones.

HRB conducts background checks on rental applicants and matches them with homeowners, thereby streamlining and easing the search process for both parties.

Bainbridge homeowner Holly Hall has been renting a room to a young woman for the last 15 months.
"I lived by myself and really wasn't using half my house, so I thought it was worth a try," she said. "It's really worked out well so far."

Until recently, HRB board member Kim Hendrickson rented a room to a Peruvian woman. The arrangement took some financial pressure off Hendrickson's family and gave her kids an early introduction to Spanish, she said.
Hall said opening one's home to a renter isn't without sacrifices. Sometimes chores go undone, and a previous renter had trouble paying the rent during a family emergency.

"You have to be clear and articulate in terms of rent and house cleaning," she said.

Some renters do maintenance, pet watching or provide in-home care for elderly homeowners to supplement rent.
HRB has a list of nearly 20 people seeking homes through the HomeShare program. The list of homeowners offering a room is nearly as long, but HRB is having trouble finding homeowners who will go lower than $600.
Hall said the monthly income is nice, but she doesn't expect it to make her rich.
"It's not about the income," she said. "It's about doing something good for somebody else."

Knowing about Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act

The regulation implementing the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (PSQIA) was published on November 21, 2008, and became effective on January 19, 2009.

PSQIA establishes a voluntary reporting system to enhance the data available to assess and resolve patient safety and health care quality issues. To encourage the reporting and analysis of medical errors, PSQIA provides Federal privilege and confidentiality protections for patient safety information called patient safety work product. Patient safety work product includes information collected and created during the reporting and analysis of patient safety events.

PSQIA authorizes HHS to impose civil money penalties for violations of patient safety confidentiality.  PSQIA also authorizes the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to list patient safety organizations (PSOs).  PSOs are the external experts that collect and review patient safety information.

The confidentiality provisions will improve patient safety outcomes by creating an environment where providers may report and examine patient safety events without fear of increased liability risk.  Greater reporting and analysis of patient safety events will yield increased data and better understanding of patient safety events.

OCR works in close collaboration with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) which has responsibility for listing patient safety organizations (PSOs), the external experts established by the Patient Safety Act to collect and analyze patient safety information.