In a time when housing affordability is increasingly out of reach, we set out to prepare young people in our Transitional Living Program (TLP) not only to find a place to live after graduating from the program, but to keep it.
As our team watched waitlists for housing vouchers grow longer, it became clear that affordable options alone wouldn’t be enough. We needed a strategy that would help young people successfully transition from TLP into safe, stable, and sustainable independence.
That’s when we piloted a new approach: a structured roommate model designed with two goals in mind: (1) helping young adults build social and communication skills, and (2) preparing them for the financial realities of independent living.
Why Roommating Matters
Across the U.S., and here in central Ohio, housing affordability has reached crisis levels. Nearly half (49.7%) of renter households spent more than 30 percent of their income on housing in 2023.(1) Shared living, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, can provide housing stability by getting people housed quickly and efficiently(2) while also teaching communication and budgeting skills.
Recognizing both the cost pressures and the skills gap facing young people in transition, Huckleberry House began testing roommate arrangements within our TLP two-bedroom apartments. As Clinical Director, Erica, explains:
We saw the growing housing affordability crisis in Columbus and asked what would be most effective in addressing that with young people. Roommates offered a way to build social connections, learn to navigate shared living, and create an additional housing option for young people exiting the program to assist with the rising cost of housing.
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Learning Together
Each pair of roommates works with staff to create a roommate agreement covering boundaries, guests, cleanliness, and expenses. Regular check-ins help roommates build problem-solving skills and handle conflict before it escalates.
Teja, one of our case managers and in-house “roommate expert,” shared that the most common challenges—food sharing, cleanliness, and guests—often lead to the biggest learning moments. “Healthy communication skills are the biggest takeaways for clients,” he shared. “Sometimes there’s a lightbulb moment where they realize they want to make enough money for a studio, but otherwise, they’re making real progress on compromise and communication.”
Teja has also seen unexpected benefits. “When one roommate is more organized or cleaner, it motivates the other. We can have daily-living conversations more naturally. Being with a roommate encourages them to grow in specific ways.”
Growth in Action
For Jorden, a TLP youth sharing an apartment with his brother and one of the first participants in the roommate pilot, the experience has been both challenging and transformative:
“Living with a roommate, especially one who is my brother, was hard. But I was able to ask for help from Huckleberry House staff. It helped me learn more about dealing with conflict and relationships.”
Vivian shared that a key part of her growth has been learning to live with a roommate, a first for her. Through the structured roommate agreement, she learned to negotiate boundaries, communicate effectively, and build skills for shared living in college and beyond.
These are not small milestones. Research indicates that positive roommate relationships are linked to higher emotional adjustment and better social functioning among young adults. (3)
Building Stability for the Future
By learning to live with a roommate in an environment with built-in supports, these young adults are building a foundation for long-term stability. Roommates not only make housing more affordable, they also make independence more attainable in today’s challenging housing market.
As Erica puts it, “This is preventative work. We’re equipping young people with the real-life skills they’ll need when they leave our program so that they can maintain stable housing and healthy relationships. It’s about helping them develop the tools and skills to thrive in the next steps of their journey once they leave Huckleberry House programming.”
Early results are encouraging. Participants report improved communication skills, greater confidence in setting boundaries, and stronger follow-through on household responsibilities. Two roommates even described their experience as “the best part” of the program; one adding that he hopes his next roommate is “just like my old one.”
The Path Forward
For 55 years, Huckleberry House has designed programming with a focus on long-term success, always asking, “But what’s next for them?” The roommate model builds on that tradition, allowing us to support more young people while equipping each with the skills and confidence to thrive independently.
Because of the success we’ve seen, we have expanded, and will continue to expand, the roommate model across more TLP units. We’re proud to continue the tradition of pairing innovation with our experience and expertise to support 17–24-year-olds as they transition into adulthood—the way we’ve done since 1970.
Sources:
- U.S. Census Bureau (2024). Nearly Half of Renter Households Are Cost-Burdened.
- National Alliance to End Homelessness (2022). Shared Housing Fact Sheet.
- Erb S.E. et al. (George Mason University). College Roommate Relationships.