HSCVT Sees Silver Lining
The Times Argus, the daily newspaper for the Barre-Montpelier region of Vermont, recently published the following letter-to the editor from Betsy Reid, director of Home Share of Central Vermont (HSCVT):
“Strenghtening the bonds of community may well be the silver lining accompanying the storm of economic hardships caused by the skyrocketing costs of food and fuel. Vermonters are uniting to face the crisis by car pooling, buying local, and bartering goods and services. There’s a general sense that we’re all in this together, and we will all find ways to help each other through the rough times ahead.
That’s the essence of home sharing: each person helps the other, either by providing housing or by providing the kind of assistance a senior or disabled person needs to remain at home for as long as possible.
We think more seniors than ever before will turn to Home Share of Central Vermont for help this year. We’re already getting calls from individuals facing foreclosure or worried about heating their homes next winter.
At the same time, home sharing presents an opportunity to find more sensible and affordable housing. This option also appeals to people who just don’t want to live alone anymore.
Home sharing is one of many innovative ways each of us can help the central Vermont community weather challenging economic times.”
Reid’s letter caught the eye of WGDR-FM radio host Carl Etnier. On July 24th, Etnier interviewed HSCVT communications specialist Ginny Sassaman and home share participant Dara Von Laanen for a 30-minute exploration of home sharing here in central Vermont.
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