Recently, ABC TV News ran a piece about CSMC’s Single Mother Share House Register, featuring the stories of single mother families who have made the decision to become housemates.
CSMC started the register in 2014 – back in the day we produced a paper booklet sharing requests from single mums, often calling from phone booths, who wanted to share a home with another single mother, sharing the costs and providing the support that only comes from someone else in the same situation.
The CSMC Single Mother Share House Register has long since gone online and over the years has helped hundreds of single mother families connect – and it’s only getting more popular.
Currently, single parents are three times more likely to live in poverty than two-parent households. Single mums are four times more likely to experience homelessness than the national average. This has led to an increasing number banding together and turning to a shared housing model.
While sharing a home with another single mother family might sound like a great solution to the cost-of-living crisis, but it’s not for everyone. If you are thinking of sharing, here’s some things you should consider, and discuss with a potential housemate:
- What are your expectations in terms of sharing things like cooking and child minding?
- What rules would you like in place for things like alcohol consumption and overnight guests?
- What are the things you care about in your living space: cleanliness, quiet hours etc?
- How will the arrangement end? When one family decides to move on, do you break the lease or will the remaining family take it over?
The CSMC Single Mother Share House Register operates as a closed and moderated Facebook page. You can apply to join here.
In the meantime, enjoy ABC’s report on single mothers and housemates! A big shoutout to the ABC for covering this important topic, and a huge thanks to all the single mums who took part in the report!
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