St John’s Winchester charity has set up a Homeshare scheme to help tackle loneliness and isolation, relieve pressure on housing and the cost-of-living crisis and have a positive effect on the mental and physical wellbeing of older and younger people in Winchester and District.
The not-for-profit service matches an older homeowner who has a spare room (the ‘householder’) with a younger person (the ‘sharer’) who needs affordable accommodation. In exchange for the room, the sharer volunteers 10 hours a week practical help and companionship to the householder. This can be shared activities (walks, meals, shopping trips) or chores (cleaning, cooking, gardening). No personal care is involved. Homesharing creates opportunities for rewarding intergenerational relationships that can improve wellbeing for the younger and older people most challenged in our communities today. The service is designed to be mutually beneficial. There’s a small fee to pay for the service (matching, robust safeguarding checks, on-going monitoring) £100 per month for the householder, £200 per month for the sharer. See attached pdf of the flyer for more information, refer service users to this link on the St John’s website to register or to find out more. Should you have any questions about the scheme, please contact Emma Kiss directly at St John’s who is their Homeshare Manager on Tel: 01962 858294 / Mobile: 07821 651438 or email emma.kiss@stjohnswinchester.co.uk