Helping find homes

The John Howard Society of Okanagan and Kootenay are looking for homes in the Kelowna area for two adults with developmental disabilities as we head into the Christmas season.

"We had three people that were desperately looking, one of those people has found housing. We still have two that actively need to get into something. And there's always a waitlist for home share," said Carrie Foss, who works with the non-profit.

Foss says it can be a struggle to find people who are willing to share their homes with strangers.

"We have a couple situations like that right now where people need to find new home care providers, and it's really, really difficult to find home share providers," says Foss.

Home share providers can be a single person, a couple, or a family and you can be a renter who has a spare room and wants to make a difference to a person who is neurodiverse. Foss says the home share option provides an ideal balance of support and independence and for some individuals, it's a step towards their independence.

Foss says the society works hard to pair their clients with the right home care provider and they provide support and competitive compensation.

"Home share is a way to give back to someone who needs a little bit of help on a daily basis. And for that, you are financially compensated through different means, so you're doing it out of the kindness of your heart, but you're also receiving financial compensation to give someone a leg up," Foss explained.

Most of the clients who use the service have a developmental disability. Foss says some are on the autism spectrum while others may have fetal alcohol syndrome or Down Syndrome.

"They have their own unique needs and skill set. So the home share providers help them build the skills to the best of the individual's abilities."

Foss says the society works hard to match its clients with the right homes to create a win-win situation.

"The matching process is really key."

The John Howard Society asks anyone interested in becoming a home share provider to contact them at homeshare@jhsok.ca.