Jewish Family Service of Metrowest (JFS)
With support from The Miriam Fund, Jewish Family Service of Metrowest is assisting older women, some facing eviction and first-time homelessness, to find affordable housing with their Home-Share Program. This innovative program connects older women in need of affordable housing with others who have extra space in their homes.
The pilot program was created in response to a significant increase in house insecurity among older women served through JFS’ Jewish Family Assistance Network — a CJP-funded Anti-poverty Initiative program — as well as through other JFS and community partner programs.
Persistent inflation that has outpaced increases in Social Security pensions, high prevalence of widowhood reducing household income, and a post-COVID-19 phenomenon of house sales displacing renters and reducing availability of affordable housing units are some of the factors contributing to house insecurity among older women. According to a report from the Gerontology Institute at UMass Boston, 64% of single women ages 65 and older in Massachusetts are economically insecure — higher than any other state.
A key component to JFS’ wraparound supported home-share model is Diana O’Brien, a highly experienced, dedicated social worker, whose role is to facilitate introductions of prospective matches, to provide pre- and post-cohabitation coaching, to coordinate and facilitate moving, and to assist home sharers with ongoing access to needed services and benefits. Ms. O’Brien also serves as liaison to key informants and community partners, including local synagogues, senior centers, the Area Senior Service Access Point, and more.
O’Brien, who was coaxed out of retirement after 22 years of working at JFS, sees tremendous potential value in this program she is helping to operationalize. “Stable housing is a key social determinant of health that directly impacts health outcomes. People who are homeless have higher rates of illness and die an average of 12 years sooner than the general U.S. population. Home-sharing not only increases housing affordability, it increases disposable income, mitigates isolation, increases safety, provides housemates access to needed benefit assistance, reduces negative health outcomes, and enhances the quality of life for all involved.”
