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U of T and SpacesShared partner on affordable housing option matching students with older adults 

Three people standing together in front of a digital screen that says SpacesShared and a sign that says Student Life Housing.
Pictured from left to right: Jackie Tanner, Chief Experience Officer, SpacesShared, Rylan Kinnon, Chief Executive Officer, SpacesShared, and Arlene Clement, Director, Housing & TCard Services, University of Toronto. (Photo: Sydney Maddock)

Posted on May 28, 2024

U of T Housing Services has teamed up with SpacesShared, an innovative online homesharing platform, to help solve the growing challenge of affordable student housing. 
 
SpacesShared is designed to facilitate safe and affordable homesharing arrangements for students, connecting them with older adult hosts in Toronto. Leveraging a sophisticated algorithm and dedicated human support staff, SpacesShared ensures the secure matching of compatible students and older adults interested in homesharing. This service will be available to U of T students seeking housing options close to all three campuses. 
 
“We’re excited to partner with SpacesShared and expand the affordable housing options for students as well as offering older adults a way to leverage a spare bedroom for some extra income, company and companionship,” said Arlene Clement, Director of Housing & TCard Services. “Students might also reduce their monthly rent by doing some tasks around the home.” 

Affordable housing is a significant challenge, particularly for international students. The SpacesShared platform helps domestic and international students find a new place to call home and encourages intergenerational relationships that can help alleviate the social isolation that both hosts and students can sometimes feel.  “SpacesShared is designed to solve two of Ontario’s most pressing challenges,” says Rylan Kinnon, Chief Executive Officer of SpacesShared. “We know that students are not the only ones facing housing affordability issues. Older adults have been greatly impacted by changes in the housing market, inflation, increases to the cost of living, and a little help with chores around the home can significantly reduce barriers to aging-in-place. By pairing up these two demographics who have so much to offer one another, our aim is to provide a new way to facilitate a very old concept – homesharing.” 
 
Become a host: 
 
Housing Services and SpacesShared invite people in the Greater Toronto Area to become part of this important program. Older adults with available space are encouraged to sign up and help students secure a comfortable living environment while benefiting from the joy of intergenerational homesharing. 
 

For more information about homesharing through SpacesShared, or to register for a free account as a host or a student, visit www.spacesshared.ca or connect with Housing Services at housing.services@utoronto.ca.