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Extra Housing Help For AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers
Odd Couples Housing announced a partnership with AmeriCorps VISTA — Mission: St. Louis to launch a housing subsidy program for VISTA volunteers affiliated with the organization. AmeriCorps VISTA — Mission: St. Louis seeks to alleviate poverty across Missouri by creating systemic change and providing direct services that improve the well-being of the poor and disenfranchised, particularly children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
How Two Generations Facing Loneliness & High Housing Costs Became Housemates
Before Yuki, an international college student, returned home to Japan due to the coronavirus outbreak, she and Amy (a physician) had been happily living together in Amy’s University City home for months. Despite their age difference, Amy and Yuki enjoyed each other’s company and bonded over their love of Amy’s cats. They both appreciate the financial benefits of home-sharing, but that’s not their main motivation for participating in Odd Couples Housing. They agree that the main advantage of living together is feeling more connected and less lonely.
Amy and Yuki were among the people interviewed last week on Saint Louis Public Radio (NPR) by host Sarah Fenske. Last Tuesday’s St. Louis on the Air episode also featured Odd Couples Housing Co-Founder, John Levis, and Director, Brian Carpenter who discussed the company’s mission and how we work. Tune in to hear the interviews!
Pandemic Housemates
Like Amy and Yuki, many of our homeowners and their roommates are glad to have companionship while sheltering-at-home. We’ve stayed in touch with our matches during this difficult time, and are happy to report that all is well. We especially enjoyed hearing from the daughter of one of our longest-standing matches who told us that having a younger person living with her mom has given her considerable peace of mind. She said, “especially during the pandemic, it has been such a gift to have them there. The Odd Couples Housing program has been a lifesaver and a true blessing for our family!”
We’re happy that our roommate matches are able to support each other right now. Who are your biggest supports during this time? How do you stay connected with them? Take time to check in with your friends and family, seek things out that make you smile, and find ways to keep your mind and body active.
Whether you live with housemates, family members, or by yourself, you’re probably adjusting to increased time at home. Limiting social time and activities can be hard. But, it can also create time to think about what you’re grateful for, reconnect with loved ones, and plan for the future. We don’t know what life might look like in the coming months, but we have a feeling that we won’t be taking our social connections for granted!
Did You Enjoy Hearing Yuki & Amy On The Radio?
If you enjoyed hearing Yuki and Amy’s story, we recommend tuning into this episode of The Mark Reardon Show. Earlier this year, another Odd Couples Housing match (Erika and Diane) shared their experience as roommates on the air. Start at 9:25.
If the home-sharing situation might be a good fit for you–-now or in the future–-please sign up on our website.
Coronavirus and Older Adults: What Resources Are Available
Like many companies that work with older adults and college students in America, we’ve been watching the coronavirus situation as it evolves. We understand that COVID-19 could have vast impacts and we are taking current circumstances seriously. We are paying particular attention to the ways COVID-19 could affect the people we most often work with: students and senior communities.
You probably know that many colleges and universities have closed due to COVID-19. As you might imagine, this created a challenging situation for many students. In a previous blog, we highlighted some go-to resources specifically for college students. The main concern is that many students–especially international students–were asked to leave their on-campus housing and don’t have a place to go. Times of crisis remind us of just how critical it is to support one another during challenging periods. For this reason, we are so impressed by several of our homeowners who stepped up to help by offering rooms in their homes for displaced students. Thank you!
At Odd Couples Housing, we do our best to put older generations and students at the heart of everything we do. Because of this, we want to make sure you are staying up to date on news about coronavirus. When it comes to the coronavirus, things have been changing quickly, and we want to make sure you are aware of your resources and prepared, in case it touches your community. Moreover, we want to share some coronavirus-related initiatives and a few tips to help you stay connected.
First and most importantly, please be sure to follow reliable sources that have up-to-date guidance such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just to mention a few. We also encourage you to vigilantly follow guidelines from public health officials and to continue to monitor news from local authorities. A lot of experts are sharing information about COVID-19, so be sure to read their tips and advice on how people can protect themselves.
Secondly, we recommend that you consider using social media. Whether you’re a regular user or new to social media platforms, now is a great time to engage online. There are a lot of helpful social media platforms that have brought different groups of people together. You might try a Facebook group or app. Some pages and groups were created with the intention of sharing news updates, some are helping educate people, and some just want to connect people for socializing purposes. There are also pages that focus on local volunteer opportunities that you could use to both provide and receive support.
One great Facebook group matches people wanting to help others with those needing help during the coronavirus pandemic. Although the page cannot guarantee that everyone’s needs will be met, it has “brought people together as a community and hopes that this allows positive things to happen.” Anyone needing help can fill out this form.
Thirdly, since older adults have an increased risk of having serious COVID-19 related health concerns, (and some areas have stay-at-home orders) many people are concerned about going to the pharmacy to get medication. Thankfully, Walgreens and CVS have offered to deliver people’s prescriptions or complete essential online order with no delivery fee. Read more here. Furthermore, the two pharmacies mentioned above and Walmart will also loan their space for coronavirus tests.
Last but not least, it is understandable that those most at risk of contracting COVID-19 would be cautious about entering public spaces during this time. This makes it difficult to complete daily tasks, like buying food. Thankfully, many grocery store chains and other retailers have delivery options. Others are also setting aside certain hours exclusively for older adults to shop. The stores offering these special hours include Whole Foods, Target, Schnucks, and Dollar General, just to mention a few.
Lastly, here are just a few more resources for seniors in the St.Louis area who might need meals, transportation, and any other help. If you need food but can’t afford it contact St.Louis Food Bank and St. Louis Area Agency on Aging. The St. Louis Area Agency on Aging does not just deliver meals but also provides transportation like Aging Ahead.
We also encourage you to take care of yourself and don’t become too isolated. Call a family member, email an old friend, or learn to text or video chat to stay in touch! Try to keep to your normal routine as much as possible, even if your activities have changed. This means keeping up with your usual wake-up, sleep, and mealtime routines. Also, challenge yourself to do some kind of movement every day. Staying connected, engaged and active can help you adjust to the many changes happening in the world.
In conclusion, we want you to know that there are resources available to support you during this challenging time. It is a weird time for all of us, but we are confident that we will get through this together! Our thoughts are with all of you and we hope you’re safe and healthy. Take care of yourselves and each other, and please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
4 Tips to a Great Start With Your Next Roommate
Living situations are important parts of our lives. Whether you are older, younger, moving into a new place, opening up your home, used to roommates, or sharing space with someone for the first time, it’s important to be comfortable in your home space. Settling in with a new roommate can be an exciting time–full of opportunities to connect with someone new–but it can also bring about a sense of apprehension about the unknown. What if things don’t go as smoothly as planned? What if I need a night to myself? Could we eat dinner together sometimes?