Homeshare Australia

Homeshare Australia (HANZA) is aware of recent media reporting regarding alleged financial abuse in a living arrangement described as “homeshare”.

The term “homeshare” is currently used broadly in Australia and is not currently regulated or consistently defined.

The arrangement described in the reporting is materially different from the facilitated reciprocal homeshare model promoted by HANZA.

HANZA members are committed to good practice approaches including screening and reference checks, ongoing support, clear agreements and safeguards for participants.

Homeshare Australia strongly supports protections for vulnerable people in all shared living arrangements.

Dont miss this workshop with our very own Homeshare experts Wendy Francis and Tony Cavedon!

🏠 Not long to go!

What if there was another way to think about home and support?

Our 2-part online Homeshare webinar series starts soon and will explore a more natural way of living—where a person with disability lives in their own home alongside a supportive housemate without disability.

Hear from an incredible panel of speakers with lived experience, family insight and professional expertise in creating successful home share arrangements.

📅 28 May & 11 June
⏰ 6:45pm–8:30pm

✨ Limited time to register

👉 Register now: https://events.humanitix.com/homeshare

Image description: 'Homeshare', 'Discover how a supportive housemate can make living in your own home meaningful and possible!', '2-Park Workshop Featuring 4 Guest Speakers', '28 May and 11 June, 2026' in white font against dark blue background. Four images: 1st - Wendy Francis, Homeshare leader HANZA, 2nd - Tony Cavedon, Homeshare Coach, HANZA, 3rd - Emily Raymond, Householder, 4th - Jo Middleton, Parent. See less

Reposting this webinar promotion - book your tickets!

Homeshare Australia WEBINAR COMING SOON - BOOK YOUR TICKET!

Unlocking Homeshare: Insights & Impact with Joyce Touchette HomeShare Vermont USA

Date - Wednesday 20 May 2026 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM (UTC+08)

Join HANZA’s first international webinar for 2026 to discover the stories, strategies and real-world results driving HomeShare Vermont’s growth and impact.

Joyce Touchette brings a wealth of experience to the HomeShare Vermont team, having worked with the organisation for the past six years. Over four of those years, Joyce collaborated closely with Kirby Dunn, who is regarded as one of the most respected and knowledgeable homeshare practitioners in the United States, gaining a deep understanding of homesharing. Joyce is responsible for managing the program’s client and donor databases, as well as preparing statistical reports for funders and tracking outcome measures.

HomeShare Vermont is recognised as one of the leading homeshare providers internationally, further highlighting the significance of Joyce's contributions. In addition to her work at HSVT, Joyce serves as a trustee for HomeShare International.

We are delighted to welcome Joyce as a presenter for this webinar, where she will share her insights, stories and expertise in homesharing and measuring its impact.

Click on the link or QR code in the promo below to book
https://www.trybooking.com/DLSBA

Homeshare Australia WEBINAR COMING SOON - BOOK YOUR TICKET!

Unlocking Homeshare: Insights & Impact with Joyce Touchette HomeShare Vermont USA

Date - Wednesday 20 May 2026 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM (UTC+08)

Join HANZA’s first international webinar for 2026 to discover the stories, strategies and real-world results driving HomeShare Vermont’s growth and impact.

Joyce Touchette brings a wealth of experience to the HomeShare Vermont team, having worked with the organisation for the past six years. Over four of those years, Joyce collaborated closely with Kirby Dunn, who is regarded as one of the most respected and knowledgeable homeshare practitioners in the United States, gaining a deep understanding of homesharing. Joyce is responsible for managing the program’s client and donor databases, as well as preparing statistical reports for funders and tracking outcome measures.

HomeShare Vermont is recognised as one of the leading homeshare providers internationally, further highlighting the significance of Joyce's contributions. In addition to her work at HSVT, Joyce serves as a trustee for HomeShare International.

We are delighted to welcome Joyce as a presenter for this webinar, where she will share her insights, stories and expertise in homesharing and measuring its impact.

Click on the link or QR code in the promo below to book
https://www.trybooking.com/DLSBA

🏠 Save the Date: A Global Homesharing Deep Dive!
We are thrilled to announce a very special international webinar featuring HomeShare Vermont one of the world’s leading pioneers in the homesharing space! 🌎✨

Hosted by Homeshare Australia & New Zealand Association (HANZA), this session is a unique opportunity to learn from the best. Whether you're an interested individual, a community organisation, or simply passionate about innovative housing solutions, you won't want to miss the insights from our friends across the Pacific.

📅 The Details:
Date: Wednesday, 20 May

Time: 7:00 am AWST | 9:00 am AEST

Where: Online (Link coming soon!)

💡 Why Join?
HomeShare Vermont has decades of experience in creating safe, successful, and heartwarming matches. We’ll be discussing:

The social impact of intergenerational living.

Lessons learned from a world-leading provider.

Block out your calendar now! Official registration details and the link to join will be shared shortly.

Let's rethink how we live, together. 🤝

Meet Tony Cavedon: Your Homeshare Coach 🏠🤝
Looking to navigate the world of homesharing but not sure where to start? Meet Tony Cavedon, HANZA’s dedicated Homeshare Coach.

Tony brings a wealth of experience and a person-centered approach to the homeshare model. As a coach, he works one-on-one with individuals and organizations to:

Navigate the Matching Process: Ensuring both homeowners and sharers find the right fit.

Build Sustainable Agreements: Setting clear expectations for a harmonious household.

Provide Expert Guidance: Offering practical advice based on years of sector knowledge in both aged care and disability

Tony’s passion lies in fostering community and security, helping people rediscover the joy of shared living. Whether you are curious about the logistics or ready to start your journey, Tony is here to guide the way!

Interested in setting up your own Home Share: Reach out to us to learn how Tony can help you thrive. Email: [email protected]

Would you open your home to a stranger in exchange for help with costs and chores? Here is an excellent story about homeshare in the US where Homeshare Vermont is featured, who will be our international guest speakers for our members at our upcoming webinar in May.

Would you open your home to a stranger in exchange for help with housing costs and chores? How the strategy is changing aging in place Home-sharing programs are emerging as an affordable solution for seniors, using vetting to pair hosts with guests to reduce living expenses.

Here's a great story about homesharing in Victoria - please share as we continue to advocate for a statewide homeshare framework to address housing in regional Victoria.

COTA Victoria & Seniors Rights Victoria Department of Families, Fairness and Housing - VIC Life Shared Uniting AgeWell Housing for the Aged Action Group

Roommates Max and Laurie have 54 years between them. They're part of a growing trend The pair is part of a growing movement matching older landlords with renters, in a bid to offer a quick fix...

Professor Kathy Eagar is Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales and Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology. Professor Eagar has undertaken extensive work in the aged care system over the last two decades.

Following is an excerpt from one of her articles:
How we can develop a system to live with purpose and stay longer at home
Year by year the numbers of the aged increase. By 2050, 25 % of Australians will be 65 and older with the proportion of young people declining.
Whichever way the figures are structured, there are at least 3.5 million Australians over the age of 65 today, who do not access age care services and do not live in retirement villages; they live in their homes. What are their secrets? How could they be assisted in their determination to stay at home?
The large majority of the over-65s are managing in ways not yet known in any systematic study of “older” people. We need to know their living conditions, how they feed themselves, what are their health issues, how they use their time; do they work, volunteer, babysit? Who are their social contacts? Do they live in an age-friendly community? How do they move around? Do they feel safe? What is their life satisfaction? What help do they need? What are their concerns? Could they share their homes with a young person in exchange for practical help with cooking, shopping and getting to appointments? Would they tolerate an unfamiliar “carer” coming into their homes or being segregated in aged care accommodation?
Importantly, is there a dark world to be discovered where people are not managing at all?
From available relevant data we know the following. Forty-two percent still have face-to-face contact with family or friends and 93% say they can expect support in times of crisis. Many have children and grandchildren, and the lucky ones have daughters, but this is changing. Fewer children are being born; Australia’s replacement rate is now 1.5. Twenty six percent of households today are people living alone. The problem of isolation, feelings of loneliness and despair reported by the old and the young is growing and is a cause of social instability. This is the number one issue yet to be resolved in ageing policy.
Not much of the data available paints a picture of “dependency” or cause for alarm, but we need to break down the so-called “old” age group and look at those over 75 years and over 80 years separately to refine any sensible policy on ageing in Australia.
In an ideal world, we would structure lively intergenerational communities where the young and the old live alongside one another, where the experience of one generation can meet the needs of another through activities of mutual benefit, reducing the separation and isolation of older generations from youth, and changing community attitudes towards the whole process of ageing.
One model is home-sharing, an international movement which goes under the name of HANZA in Australia. This is an arrangement where two or more people share a living space. Typically, a householder offers accommodation at a low cost in exchange for companionship and support. This support may include assistance with chores, some cooking, social interaction, or simply providing a presence and company.
Don and I had our own private home share arrangement for two years. Piet was a final year engineering student and our grand-daughter’s boyfriend who lived with us at no cost to him. He would cook 3-4 times a week, do odd jobs and sometimes drive us to appointments. During those years, Piet completed his degree and applied successfully to a university in Belgium to do a PhD. We were able to help mentor him and refine his applications. He was good company, and we shared many thoughts about changes in society. If the right match can be found it is an ideal solution for some who have the space and the means.
Most of the aged, as well as needing social interaction, need help with technology to open up their world and help them take charge of their lives. We were middle-aged at the time tech boomed, and many have never learnt how to use a computer, email, order groceries online, do banking online, deal with all services — water, gas, electricity (finding the best rate) — deal with taxes, telephone, even hospital admission online.
Almost everything that needs to be done is now online with no friendly voice to be found there to help. It’s an alien world for many older people who are disadvantaged and hopelessly frustrated without the skills needed to live. Grandchildren are the go-to experts, if you have them, but they will be fewer in future as well.
The young are digital natives. They could be the mentors. If they would help an older person to master technology it would build competence, instil independence, reduce their isolation and give them control of their lives. As mentors, the young volunteers would derive great personal satisfaction as well. Idealistic? Maybe. But I have seen challenging things done when there is a will.
It would not be difficult to implement a national service-learning program or community-based education scheme involving hands-on community work with academic learning and reflection, through the school system, fostering civic responsibility in students – a program to bring the generations together in the interest of the old and the young.
Technical competence for the older group would facilitate their social interaction, help keep them in touch with friends and family, motivate activity and provide access to the range of entertainment and information now available.
We know from Time Use surveys that older people spend more time watching TV and less time using digital devices. That will, of course, change as digital natives join the elderly. Meanwhile, the viewing and listening options for this older audience are limited. This group could be taught how to use the remote, their mobile phones, how to access music and podcasts and take advantage of the wealth of material available that they don’t know about, but now have the time to listen to.
The older group averages the same 1.4 hours per day as younger people on exercise, sports and walking, but close to 70% do little or no outdoor activity, a vital contributor to health and well-being. This inactive lifestyle could be addressed through digital access to appropriate exercise programs already available, and cross-generational friendships could motivate activity for both groups.
There are already some programs addressing intergenerational and friendship connections. The program “I Wish I’d Asked” is a story-telling project aimed at preserving history, which also helped combat loneliness and depression by fostering conversations and skill-sharing between older residents in aged care facilities and secondary school students. It was set up in November 2017 by Eva Gruen and Danny Finley in Shepparton, Victoria, assisted by Rotary.
One of the interesting things which came out of this project was some boys finding the experience of making friends with an older person satisfying to the point where they thought they would consider working in age care. If we could bring young men into the caring services, it would be a bonus all round and fill a gap in the employment sector.
We know boys are falling behind in education. More girls are completing schooling at a higher level, getting more places in universities than boys, and going after the highly paid professional jobs. They are also dominating in the care sector which is the biggest driver of employment growth because it is labour-intensive. Men face no formal barriers to working in care, and many do, but deep-seated gender norms and social factors have slowed such a change. We need to correct the balance.
What if the tech companies, as part of their responsibility to the people they now exploit, decided to provide the internet, a computer and smartphone or watch, to all those over 70? They would learn a lot about this demographic and their needs of value for marketing purposes.
There is a program underway called Healthy@Home, developed by the NSW Smart Sensing Network, aimed at keeping ageing citizens healthy at home, out of hospital and aged care facilities by integrating sensor technology, alerts, telehealth and care models. They plan to help people and their carers take advantage of technology, checking on their well-being and looking into robotic solutions, such as robotic pets to help counter loneliness. AI will undoubtedly be employed.
Facilitating friendships, social contact and support systems is the single most important intervention needed now to live our post-working years productively. Potential solutions could assist the old and the young with their problems of isolation and loneliness. The government has an essential role to play here and should be bringing together thinkers and innovators across the disciplines, with technology companies, to rethink ageing for modern community life. Australia could be a leader in this field.
P.S. I would take a bet that the many experienced retirees who are writing for Pearls and Irritations and sharing their thinking, will likely live longer because of this engaging process.
From Age policy is a shambles. Where to from here? Part 1 & 2 | Pearls and Irritations.

Age policy is a shambles. Where to from here? Part 1 & 2 Wherever you look, at residential aged care institutions, at retirement village life, at the home support package scheme, or talk to the people over 65 — called the old — living at home making no claim on the system, just coping by whatever means they can, this stage of life means grappling with...