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Home-sharers Sue Diedrich and T.J. Christensen with their dogs at Diedrich’s home in Denver. Photo by Amanda Schwengel

Karen Garvey

May 07, 2025

University News<br>Students and seniors find friendship under a shared roof

Home-sharing provides a solution for older adults seeking help around the house and students who need a place to live.

Karen Garvey

May 07, 2025

Home-sharers Sue Diedrich and T.J. Christensen with their dogs at Diedrich’s home in Denver. Photo by Amanda Schwengel

At 65, retired psychiatrist Sue Diedrich found herself alone in the spacious Greenwood Village home where she’d raised her two children. And she discovered she didn’t care for living alone.

At 47, former chef and longtime local contractor T.J. Christensen found himself back in school, studying Biochemistry and Physics at Metropolitan State University of Denver, and wondering how he was going to afford Denver rent while not working.

Then, Diedrich and Christensen found each other.

The unlikely pair was brought together thanks to a new partnership between MSU Denver’s Student Housing and Living office and Sunshine Home Share Colorado. And they lived happily — if not ever after, at least for the foreseeable future — in Diedrich’s home.

The University launched the partnership because paying for a place to live is a challenge for many students, said Abbie Kell, student-housing project manager. “Finding affordable housing is a more and more pressing issue for our students,” she said.

MSU Denver assists students in several ways, including connecting them with on-campus and student-friendly off-campus housing, potential roommates and emergency assistance.

The challenge of helping students find housing isn’t limited to MSU Denver. The 2024 Student Financial Wellness Survey by Trellis Strategies found that among college students nationwide, 43% experienced housing insecurity and 14% were homeless during the previous year.

So far, two MSU Denver students, including Christensen, have found a home through the Sunshine Home Share partnership. “It’s not for everyone,” Kell said. “But it is definitely an important part of the housing conversation. I’d love to see it grow.”

RELATED: New program opens doors for students, employers looking to address affordable housing shortage

Sunshine pairs homeowners — they call them home-sharers — age 55 and older with younger people  — they call them home-seekers  — who need an affordable place to live. It’s a win-win, said Alison Joucovsky, executive director of Sunshine Home Share Colorado. Sharers like Diedrich get extra income and someone to help with housework. Home-seekers like Christensen pay rent that’s well below the local average and agree to do chores around the house. On average, home-seekers pay $750 a month, Joucovsky said. That compares with the average spring 2025 rent in Denver of $1,667 for a studio apartment, according to Apartments.com.

And if all goes well, as it has for Diedrich and Christensen, they both get companionship.

On paper, Christensen wasn’t Diedrich’s idea of an ideal match. Although, given that he’s a trained chef who also can fix a HVAC system, maybe he should have been.

However, not sure she wanted a male roommate, Diedrich initially chose a woman she’d interviewed, even after meeting Christensen. But that woman decided she didn’t want to home-share after all. For that, Diedrich is grateful. “The universe was looking out for me because T.J. is my dream come true,” Diedrich said. The two connected immediately.

Their first in-person meeting happened last summer, during what Joucovsky called “a very, very comprehensive screening process.” That means not only background checks but lifestyle checks: Would you mind living with a dog or a cat? Are you a smoker? Prospective roommates meet in person, and if the meeting goes well and both want to proceed, there is a trial two-week sleepover.

The person moving in “comes over with a small suitcase, and they have to have a plan B — we tell them not to give up their housing,” Joucovsky said. If the trial goes well, the next step is a home-share agreement, which covers things like helping with groceries, who will shovel snow, how much kitchen space the home-seeker will get and what time is lights-out.

Whether one person with a fondness for jazz (Diedrich) and another with an understanding of quantum physics (Christensen) could live harmoniously wasn’t part of the screening process. But it turns out the answer is yes.

Christensen slices strawberries for him and Diedrich to snack on in the kitchen. Photo by Amanda Schwengel<br>As the two got to know each other, a strong bond developed.

“She’s humble about her accomplishments,” Christensen said of Diedrich, as he stood in the kitchen slicing strawberries for the two of them to snack on. “But I really admire her....