Every weeknight at 7 p.m., 31-year-old Kayla Mazza sits down to watch “Jeopardy” with her roommate Honey Donegan. Donegan is 46 years Mazza’s senior, and they have lived together since 2023.
In early 2023, Mazza — a data analyst and systems manager — had landed a job at a nonprofit near Donegan’s hometown in Vermont.
Her new office was an hour-long commute from her parents’ home in Waterbury, Vermont, where she was staying temporarily until she could find closer housing.
“However, as soon as I started looking, I felt discouraged,” Mazza told Business Insider. “There was a lack of affordable housing in the area. Renting a room in a house with four other people can easily cost over $1,000 a month.”
That’s when a family member told Mazza to look into HomeShare Vermont, a nonprofit that pairs young people looking for affordable housing with seniors who have room to spare.
“It's an arrangement that works financially for both the guest and the host. As well as companionship, the host’s incentives include the guest often assisting with chores,” Mazza explained.
“I was excited to be matched with Honey, a part-time nanny, who lives in a four-bedroom house in a homeowners' association,” she said.
Although Mazza is not technically Donegan’s “caretaker,” she steps in to help with cooking meals, grocery shopping, and giving rides to doctor’s visits.
“We settled on a reasonable rent of $650 a month — the maximum HomeShare allows for a shared-housing arrangement — plus a percentage of utilities,” she said, clarifying that her rent was higher than the average $380 monthly rate for HomeShare Vermont, because Honey’s needs “were few.”
“Some living situations are more intensive and may require a nightly presence and a set number of hours of assistance,” Mazza said.
“The expectations were discussed in advance of what I should help with, such as watching her pets — two cats, two dogs, and some fish — when she's away or stacking wood in the winter.”
In addition to watching “Jeopardy” and laughing at comedies from their couch, Mazza and Donegan get along exceedingly well.
“We hike together, walk the dogs, and swim at a nearby lake,” she said. “We have similar political beliefs and are both avid readers. Honey, who is extremely empathetic, would never judge me for curling up with a book for an entire weekend.”
HomeShare Vermont is similar to another program, JoeyCo, which pairs young people — often college students — with senior homeowners in California’s Bay Area.
Like Mazza, “Joeys” in the JoeyCo program help their roommates with everything from filing taxes to car rides and pet care.
Nanik Tagore, 22, has lived with his hosts, Robert and Paige Miller, ages 70 and 72, respectively, since his sophomore year of college. After Paige was diagnosed with early-onset dementia in 2023, Tagore began providing her with some support, spending about 10 hours a week assisting her.
According to Zillow, the average cost of a studio apartment in the Bay Area ranges from $2,200 to $3,300 per month.
Tagore said he earned $25 an hour when he first began living with the Millers in August 2024. His hourly rate increased to $30 in his second year. He pays $1,750 a month in rent for a space that includes a bedroom, private bathroom, and kitchenette, but he recoups roughly $500 of that cost each month through the work he does for his hosts.
“It doesn’t feel like work,” Tagore told CBS News. “It doesn’t feel like a chore to lend a helping hand.”
Tagore graduated in May but plans to stay with the Millers until the end of 2026.
“I’m a big fan of intergenerational living,” he concluded. “I hope to dispel the myth that Gen Z and boomers can’t get along.”
His roommate agrees.
“It gives me back my freedom,” Paige Miller told CBS News. “He’s great to have around. And he laughs at my jokes.”
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Featured Image: Courtesy of Ben DiFlorio/HomeShare Vermont
