The Society of Organized Services in Oceanside, along with the Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness through the Government of Canada's Homelessness Partnering Strategy, has teamed up with room-rental site Happipad to create a home-share program in the Oceanside area. (Dreamstime)

By Jordan Davidson

home share program

‘Hoping it’ll make a difference:’ Oceanside charity partners with room-rental site for home-share program

Mar 21, 2024 | 5:30 AM

PARKSVILLE — A group advocating for more housing options in Oceanside is teaming up with an online room rental site to get more people into affordable accommodations.

The Society of Organized Services (SOS) was approached by the Canadian non-profit Happipad which connects renters to available local rooms, to collaborate on an Oceanside home-share program.

Executive director of SOS Susanna Newton said this is another tool they can use to find affordable places to rent.

“Here at S.O.S. we see clients who are living in their vehicles because they can’t afford to rent, or somebody might be coach surfing from friend’s couch to another. This is just a lower-cost option for rentals… we look at it as a win-win, there’s a benefit to the person who’s renting out the room as well as benefits for the person who rents it.”

Interested renters or those with a room available can create a profile on the Happipad site, which can include personal details about yourself and the kind of accommodations which best suit you.

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From there, you can find the Parksville-Qualicum Beach home-share program group, and sign up to become a host or potential renter.

“There’s a bit of a matching process and a vetting process, so those individuals can then look at those listings and see what fits them as well. All of that work is done through the program.”

Newton said Happipad first approached them with this idea prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed the plan until now.

“This was definitely something that I wanted to follow up on and see how far it has sort of gone across the country and how the program was doing. We started exploring it again, and we’re very happy that the funding that this program costs became available through the Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness, that kind of enabled us to move in on it a little bit quicker.”

She said they speak to people of all ages and walks of life who are looking for affordable accommodations.

From young adults still trying to leave their family home, seniors on a fixed income, to cash-strapped students who can’t afford to break the bank on rent for their semester.

“These days anybody with mortgage payments and with interest rates going up, they might have to consider renting out a room to help them with their mortgage costs. I see this as a benefit to a multitude of people, not just one type of individual or family who could benefit. I’m really hoping it’ll make a difference.”

She said SOS will assist anyone with accessing the site or creating a profile simply by stopping by their community services centre at 245 WHirst Ave. W in Parksville, or by phone at 250-248-2093.

While there is no dedicated group like this for the Nanaimo area yet, a number of profiles from students seeking housing while they attend VIU are online.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow