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What if Your Retirement Roommate Is Just a Click Away?

Many seniors live alone. Roughly 27% of Americans over 60 live solo (pewresearch.org), leading to social isolation and housing cost burdens.

ShelterShare – Senior Co Living & Services Marketplace

What We’re Testing

 Turn Spare Rooms into Community—Safely. 


Seniors sit on $13 trillion in under-used home equity while Gen-Z renters pay record-high rents and battle loneliness. Traditional house-share sites ignore accessibility, insurance, and trust—leaving empty bedrooms locked and two generations struggling. ShelterShare pairs vetted renters or caregivers with senior hosts, wraps the match in escrow and background checks, and adds optional chore-for-rent services so everyone thrives.


Hypothesis: Both hosts and renters will accept a 10 % monthly platform fee when ShelterShare completes safe matching and escrow within 48 hours.


This Experiment

• Concierge intake for 3 hosts + 3 renters.

• Manual background checks & escrow via Stripe.

• Pass if 2 matches complete a 30-day stay and both sides rate experience ≥ 4/5.

List My Spare Room

Features

Spare-Room Wizard

Upload photos; AI estimates fair rent, ADA tweaks, and insurance impact—turning “maybe later” into a ready-to-list room in 10 minutes.

Inter-Gen Match Score

Combines background check, personality quiz, and chore preferences to rank renter–host compatibility beyond price—reducing awkward mismatches.

Integrated Rent Escrow

Integrated Rent Escrow

Automates monthly payments and damage-deposit protection, creating documented rental history and peace of mind for both generations.

Call To Action

Estimate Your Spare-Room IncomeAttend Host Safety WorkshopList Room—No Fees First Month

Social Proof

"The rent helps with rising property taxes, and I gained a dog-walking buddy."

- Margaret L., 72, Host

"Living with Ms. L. cut my rent by $400 and gave me an adoptive grandma."

- Jordan P., 24, Renter

"Safe, affordable inter-generational housing is exactly what this city needs."

- Councilor Denise Hu, City of Maple Creek

Ethics & Privacy Note

ShelterShare complies with Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity laws. All personal data is encrypted at rest; background checks run via an FCRA-certified provider. No discrimination based on race, gender, orientation, or family status is tolerated—violations lead to immediate removal.


 We delete experiment data after the study or anytime you ask. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach us at sheltershare@gowenplaces.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

National criminal check, eviction history, income verification, and two references before any match is proposed.

Month-to-month template compliant with local landlord-tenant law; either party may cancel with 30 days’ notice.

Security deposit sits in escrow; ShelterShare mediates disputes and, if needed, taps platform insurance.

Copyright © 2025 GowenPlaces - All Rights Reserved.  Personal R&D lab operated independently of Geoff Owen’s full-time employer. See the Independence Statement for details. 

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