Maine HomeShare: Putting Extra Rooms to Work for Personal & Social Good
May 15, 2024
Erik Jorgensen, Maine State Housing Authority, described how HomeShare fits with state goals to expand housing options.
Jean Saunders shared the advocacy journey, started in 2017, that led to Nesterly coming to Maine.
Noelle Marcus, CEO of Nesterly, shared the ins and outs of using the platform.
Marianne Jackson, Mount Washington HomeShare, gives hints and tips for succcessful homeshare matches
Q&A, facilitated by Noel Bonam
Full session video
ABOUT OUR CALL
There is an exciting new opportunity for home sharing in Maine! Maine Housing recently awarded a $200K contract to Nesterly to offer supportive services and guidance to link homeowners with rooms to rent with interested renters. Nesterly goes beyond the typical landlord-tenant relationship to create mutually beneficial shared living experiences, including handling all the legal and vetting aspects of home sharing. The Nesterly platform is now available for residents throughout Maine.
During the call, we learned about home sharing and how Nesterly works to help people who have rooms or a small apartment to rent and supports people in need of rental homes. We also heard from advocates, people who have tried home sharing, and a successful homeshare program in New Hampshire. These are highlights.
Erik Jorgensen explained where the homeshare pilot fits into Maine State Housing's overall approach to expanding the housing options available in Maine.
We also heard about the important role played by the advocates. Jean Saunders, Chair of Age-Friendly Saco, worked closely with Representative Maggie O'Neil and Noel Bonam, AARP Maine State Director and a commissioner with Maine State Housing Authority, to pass legislation that makes it possible for Mainers across the state to use Nesterly.
The highlight of the call was the opportunity to learn all of the ins and outs of using the Nesterly platform from Noelle Marcus, CEO of Nesterly.
It was inspiring to hear from Marianne Jackson about the successful home share program they have launched in the Mount Washington Valley.
Click here to Download the Presentation Handout
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR OUR PRESENTERS
Noel Bonam, (nbonam@aarp.org) AARP Maine State Director & Maine State Housing Authority Board of Commissioners
Erik Jorgenson (ejorgensen@mainehousing.org), Senior Director, Government Relations and Communications, Maine State Housing
Jean Saunders (Saundersjean75@gmail.com), Chair, Age-Friendly Saco
Noelle Marcus (noelle@nesterly.com), CEO, Nesterly
Marianne Jackson (mjaxnmd@gmail.com), Coordinator, Mount Washington Valley Age-Friendly and Mount Washington Valley HomeShare
HOMESHARE CALL RESOURCES
To sign up or learn more - Nesterly platform
Maine State Housing’s pages - to learn more and sign up for Nesterly:
https://www.mainehousing.org/
https://www.mainehousing.org/nesterlyClick here to learn more about the cost of working with Nesterly
Promoting Homeshare - Whether you are an individual or an organization, if you are interested in promoting this to your community you can find materials and more information here.
Questions about promoting Nesterly in your community? Reach out to Jamie Johnson, Maine State Housing (jjohnson@mainehousing.org)
Maine State Law governing evictions - https://www.ptla.org/eviction
To talk with a person at the AARP Maine office about your questions concerning HomeShare, call 207-776-6348