Help each other to ease housing strain

Mr. and Mrs. Smith are retired empty nesters.

They don’t need much; what they have is paid for.

Still, inflation — which jumped 7.9% in February alone — is taking bigger and bigger bites out of the Smiths’ shrinking savings. Even with a nice bump in Social Security payments this year, they’re falling further behind.

Sleep isn’t easy to come by these days.

Joe Jones is 23. He has a steady girlfriend and a good job. Joe also has a car payment and a student loan.

He doesn’t need much, but one thing he has to have is a decent roof over his head. That’s in serious doubt because Joe’s rent has gone from $875 to $1,400. Even with a well-earned pay raise, he’s not close to making up that extra $525 a month. And the same inflation that’s making life uncomfortable for the Smiths is making it even harder for Joe.

Sleep isn’t easy to come by for Joe these days.

But maybe there’s an answer. Maybe there’s a way for Mr. and Mrs. Smith to earn some extra money by renting their unused downstairs to Joe.

For the Smiths, that nice little boost is consistent, not a one-time lift like a tax return. It doesn’t hurt that their new tenant is a nice young man who can also help keep an eye on the place.

For Joe Jones, there’s a roof over his head at less than he was paying even before rent went ballistic. It doesn’t hurt that the Smiths are nice people, and that once in a while, a slice of fresh pie is waiting for Joe when he comes home from work.

For Joe’s employer, not only does a reliable, efficient employee stay put and stay happy, but there’s no need to spend a small fortune trying to replace him because Joe had to move away to a place where he could afford to live. And because the employer doesn’t have that difficult hole to fill, the business’s customers are happy, making their lives just a little bit better because they, too, are dealing with inflation and other financial challenges.

Ladies and gentlemen, the idea presented here is one of the simplest practices being graciously copied and recommended by locals who are striving to address the unaffordability of local housing. Sure, care is needed to make sure people opening their homes for room or floor rentals are safe and secure, but when we work together, we can figure this stuff out.

Find out more. Maybe a lot of locals can start sleeping better: www.rhgip.com