Coasters with rooms to spare and an eye to helping in the housing crisis may be interested in an upcoming presentation from a visiting housing non-profit CEO.
Founder and CEO of online home-sharing platform Happipad, Cailan Libby, is presenting at the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre Feb. 12 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Kelowna-based Happipad connects hosts looking to rent out rooms in their homes with people who need places to rent. The platform vets renter and host and makes the matches. The minimum rental period is 30 days.
The Sechelt Downtown Business Association (SDBA) is hosting the local event with sponsorship from Sunshine Coast Commmunity Services.
“We have a large population of seniors who might be living in large homes by themselves and paying their taxes, which go up every year, and this could be an opportunity,” said Teressa Logan, executive director of the SDBA. She doesn’t know of anyone using the platform on the Coast but hopes it will catch on. “We're hoping that people will go, ‘I have this big house, I need the money, I maybe need even the companionship,’” said Logan, highlighting that it can be a win-win solution in the housing shortage.
“The focus isn't necessarily on seniors, we just know that our [senior] population is high,” she said. “The idea is just to get people to think of other options in terms of housing.
“We all know how unaffordable housing has become. So Happipad is thinking outside the box, creating an opportunity for people to make income if they need it.”
A social and housing needs assessment for the Sunshine Coast released last year found 64 per cent of workforce housing needs were for one-bedroom or studio units, while that type of housing makes up only 11 per cent of supply.
It’s free to register and set up a profile, but Happipad does take a five per cent service fee from each month’s rent as well as a one-time $50 placement fee. However, that’s not the case in Nova Scotia.
Last August, Happipad entered an agreement with the Nova Scotia government, where that province is paying $1.3 million to ensure Nova Scotians could use the service for free.
Libby will also be in Pender Harbour from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 11 at the community hall.
– With files from Castanet
