With Partners4Housing, Roommate Matching Creates Relationships at Luna Azul

April 8th, 2019

From summer camp to college dorm and that first apartment after graduation, many of us have roommate memories – good, bad, funny and dreadful. But, for those with disabilities, finding that perfect roommate is often left in others’ hands – rarely does one get a roommate of one’s own choosing.

Not so at Luna Azul.

Our residents, should they decide to share their home – and expenses – with another, will be introduced to Partners4Housing, an organization that has successfully been matching roommates with disabilities since 2013.

Founder Pam Blanton has more than 25 years’ experience working to help people with developmental disabilities access community-based housing in Washington. She has collaborated with families, housing providers, case managers, and community-based organizations to ensure that people with disabilities have access to housing and the supports they need to live independently from their families.

In 2010, Pam left the public sector to create Partners4Housing. While helping families navigate the bureaucracy of disability benefits, the one service most frequently requested was help finding a good roommate. So, in 2013, Partners4Housing began its roommate matching service.

Online Platform Facilitates Confidential Search, Match and Connection

Today, this service is accomplished with Partners4Housing’s online platform. The process begins with each family completing a Residential Assessment, 127 questions that are equal parts personality profile, benefit review, needs identification and human preferences. These initial answers provide Pam with a good idea of what her clients have, what they need and what they hope to achieve.

Following a review of this initial assessment, Pam has a lengthy follow up phone interview with each family. Only after this personal conversation, are invitations extended to Parters4Housing online roommate matching pool. With answers from the initial assessment, a public profile is created. Members can upload a picture and edit their profile as they like. Profiles describe each member’s favorite activities, gifts and strengths, schedule of a typical day, religious or spiritual affiliation, how needs are communicated, “even their vision of a good day,” explains Pam. Members can search through profiles for a roommate based on location, gender, age, and caregiving needs. Member names are kept confidential. Once a potential match is discovered, members can message other members confidentially through Partners4Housing’s website.

With Roommates: Expenses and Experiences are Shared

Each situation is unique, and every match is gratifying, but working with Luna Azul, Pam anticipates, will offer families delightful outcomes. “Luna Azul offers an integrated community with oversight and onsite staff, added security and programming that adds so much reassurance to families.”

Working with Luna Azul families, Pam is available to help create a plan that considers their family member’s Social Security benefits, wages, Section 8 and Medicaid benefits. She can help families establish a household budget that includes rent and/or mortgage payment, utilities, food, transportation, personal care and other needs. The result is Shared Living - shared expenses between families and shared experiences for their loved ones. It’s the beginning of what Luna Azul promises will be a community that is engaging, welcoming and friendly.

For more information about Partners4Housing and their services available to Luna Azul families, contact Pam through Partners4Housing’s website at www.partners4housing.com.