The Los Angeles City Council has approved half a million dollars for a shared housing program on the Westside.
The Self-Help and Recovery Exchange, or SHARE!, would administer the program and help place pairs of unhoused people in a fully furnished single-family home so each person would have a roommate.
Residents would need a source of income, such as social security or disability checks, to help pay some of the rent.
Councilmember Mike Bonin called shared housing a flexible solution that provides a “fast and inexpensive” intervention for anyone experiencing homelessness.
“A roommate situation is not the ideal situation for everybody, but it is the right situation for some people," he said. "Not everybody needs a single unit apartment with supportive services; many people can get off the streets and stay off the streets with a less intense intervention.”
Bonin added that shared housing can be temporary or permanent, depending on each person’s needs. He said he’s hopeful the program will lead the city to embrace a wider variety of solutions to homelessness.
