Shared living means you live with another person or people. You can live with others in many types of settings. For example, you could rent an apartment with others and each of you could have a bedroom while sharing the living room, bathroom, and kitchen. Or, you could live in a formal setting, like Adult Foster Care (AFC), where the housing includes services.
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Planning Path
Live with Someone
A Vault path with a series of short activities to help you figure out if living in the community will be easier with another person.
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Reasons to Live with Others
By living with other people, you can save money on rent and other expenses, while also getting extra support, such as:
- Company and community
- Sharing responsibilities and chores
- Sharing services, such as cleaning or cooking
- Peer support from living with people who are in similar situations. For example, people with addictions living together can support each other.
- Having a place to stay until you are able to get your own place
Reasons You Might Not Want to Live with Others
Shared living works well for many people, but not for everyone. Think about these things before moving into a place with other people:
- You’ll have to share your living space and some possessions.
- Different people have different values, habits, and lifestyles. This can lead to conflict.
- You may prefer being alone and need your own space.
- In some cases, there can be disagreements about money.
How You Pay
How much you pay and what benefits you can get when you live with others depends on the type of housing and other details of your situation. Read HB101’s other articles about housing settings to see which makes sense for you.
Sharing a place doesn’t mean you have to share your bedroom with a roommate. Many people share two-bedroom apartments with another person. That lets them split the rent, but they still get their own rooms.
Rent can be a lot cheaper, because two-bedroom apartments don’t cost twice as much as one-bedroom apartments. For example:
- A one-bedroom apartment might cost $1,100 per month. If you live there alone, you’d pay the full $1,100.
- A two-bedroom apartment in the same area might cost around $1,300 per month. If you live with somebody else, you’d only pay $650.
It can be hard to find a roommate. Here are some tips:
- Rapid Re-Housing Housemate Upsides and Downsides is a worksheet that can help you figure out if it makes sense for you to get a roommate.
- The Individualized Housing Options Resource Guide for Persons with Disabilities has a worksheet for figuring out what to look for in a roommate.
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If you qualify for an MA-Waiver program:
- It may help pay the living expenses for a person who lives with you and who provides an approved service. This means you can get some help and save on your rent. For more details, see HB101’s article about how MA-Waiver programs can help pay for caregiver living expenses.