It was with deepening concern, but not surprise, that we received the news from the U.S. surgeon general that loneliness is “the latest public health epidemic” (“Loneliness now a public epidemic, top doctor says,” Star-Advertiser, May 3). Statistics show that loneliness is the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day and that social isolation increases the risk of heart disease and dementia. These data are in part what motivated our nonprofit, Hawaii Intergenerational Network (HIN), to bring the concept of home sharing to Hawaii in 2019.

By vetting and matching homeowners who have an available room with home seekers (renters) in need of long-term, affordable housing, we saw an opportunity to immediately address social isolation and Hawaii’s housing shortage. Home sharing helps kupuna to age in place and strengthens intergenerational relationships. It also enables more residents to remain in Hawaii using existing affordable housing.

In Hawaii, it is common for elderly persons to live alone in their own homes while trying to maintain their independence. At the same time, they are frequently adjusting to declining abilities or the rising costs of property taxes and utilities while on a fixed income. It is also increasingly common for residents of all ages to find themselves making a difficult decision to leave their family, friends, jobs and community for life on the continent, as they are forced out by escalating market rates for rentals or home ownership.

As a result of these issues, HIN established Homesharing Hawaii to help seniors safely age in place and to secure very affordable housing for low- and moderate-income renters. We modeled our program after similar strategies implemented in more than 20 states for over 40 years, under the guidance of the National Shared Housing Resource Center.

Home sharing is a simple idea: Two or more people share a home to their mutual benefit, in exchange for rent, help around the house or a combination of both. Through careful screening, matching and follow-up services, we ensure secure and compatible matches for successful, long-term home sharing. Each arrangement is tailored to the unique needs and interests of the people involved, and the participants decide who they want to live with. There is no cost for this service, and no obligation to continue forward at any point in the process.

Positive health outcomes and economic benefits for home sharers abound for both homeowners and home seekers. Sharing a home broadens social interactions, provides stable long-term housing, ends isolation, decreases health risks, creates companionship, reduces financial stress, increases economic and housing security, and strengthens community.

Given the lack of affordable housing and the resources required to create new housing (via renovation or construction), the value of home sharing for Hawaii is exponential: It immediately increases affordable housing options since it does not require construction, building funds, new infrastructure, nor additional land or natural resource use.

On the same day as that Associated Press article about the surgeon general’s call for awareness on the risks of loneliness, a Honolulu Star-Advertiser editorial highlighted the state’s “transformative” plan of action to bring “more homes for low- and middle-income households” (“Back bold action on public housing,” Our View, May 3). The two topics in the article and editorial mirror our dual mission: ending isolation and increasing affordable housing.

We are heartened that our work aligns with the governor’s and mayor’s prioritization of affordable housing, and proud that our solution is founded in community helping community. Our participants can quickly reap the health and economic benefits of stable housing and companionship since home sharing utilizes existing homes. As we like to say, sharing one home can change two lives.

Chuck Larson is board president of nonprofit Hawaii Intergenerational Network (HIN), see www.hawaiiintergenerationalnetwork.org; Melody Heidel is lead navigator of Homesharing Hawaii, a project of HIN.