Single-parent family: offer a shared apartment in exchange for services and break the loneliness

Did you know that more than one in five families is a single-parent family? So if you yourself are single with dependent child(ren), considered a solo or isolated dad or mom, you are part of the 2 million families known as "Single-Parent".

Single parenthood: a difficult situation

It's not easy to manage everything when you separate from the father or mother of your children. Because children, especially if they are very young, require time and care. Moreover, the daily hassles and loneliness weigh heavily when you have no one to share them with.

After a separation, precariousness appears. Especially among women who lose on average 20% of their income compared to 13% for men. Both parents are therefore forced to work to meet the financial needs of daily life. While children are most often attached to the mother's household, many fathers regularly host their children, forcing each parent to find housing suitable for accommodating the children.

Housing is an important part since it represents, for single-parent families, more than a third of their budget. Furthermore, balancing professional and family life in this context of single parenthood is often very difficult because you have to work while keeping in mind the daily life and needs of the children. This can be a source of constant stress that inevitably affects loved ones.

Solutions exist for those who have a room or more to offer

The Housing in exchange for Services option guarantees you targeted daily help, the Single-Parent Shared Housing allows you not to be alone after a separation while sharing daily expenses, and finally the Single-Parent Cohabitation offers the help of an adult, also a parent, caring and sharing the same issues and providing a concrete solution to daily problems.

What is single-parent shared housing or cohabitation?

Single-parent shared housing or cohabitation refers to parents who raise their children alone coming together to live in the same housing. This can allow sharing expenses, avoiding loneliness, or helping each other. It concerns all solo parents such as single fathers or single mothers who need to find new housing after a life change, divorce, or separation.

The advantages of single-parent shared housing

There are many advantages to single-parent shared housing. The main one is to overcome loneliness both for the parents while facilitating the daily organization for the children, especially if they are of similar ages and attend the same schools.

The concept of this collaboration can be based on exchange, housing in exchange for services, so there is no payment between solo parents where the host is willing to offer housing in exchange for specific help from the supportive cohabitant (shopping, cooking, tutoring, accompaniment, etc.). Housing in exchange for services does not provide income but allows saving time and gaining peace of mind.

It can also be based on shared expenses such as rent and utilities, thus enabling renting a larger apartment with more space for the children.

So no more race against time or difficult month-ends. It is undeniably easier to manage daily life together than alone.

However, the benefits of single-parent shared housing are not only financial or logistical; they are also emotional and affective. It is a good way to avoid loneliness before getting into a new relationship or simply to talk with someone who is also single.

According to sociologist Nina Testut, specialist in shared housing, "Rather than going around in circles in an empty apartment when the children are with one parent, now there are two of us to face life's ups and downs but also to enjoy the joys of being parents: first words, first day of school... events that we enjoy sharing."

How to find the right roommate, solo dad or mom?

Of course, this balance is not found overnight. Probably the most important is the educational approach. Indeed, it is difficult to live with a laid-back dad if you are a very strict mom. So one of the essential points on which solo parents must agree before opting for single-parent shared housing is the education of the children. It is therefore necessary, even indispensable, that solo parents share the same educational principles.

To agree on this particular point, it is necessary to discuss it at length before deciding to share housing. It is also desirable that the children meet beforehand to get to know each other and see if they get along.

The age of the children must also be taken into account. It is indeed easier for children of the same age to spend time together or do their homework.

Let us not forget that shared housing implies a change of life and habits. These changes will be less difficult for young children than for teenagers. Also explain to the children that this cohabitation can be temporary to prepare them for future mobility.

As Pascal T., a single father of three children, says: "For me, shared housing is an alternative to family: it has all the advantages without the disadvantages. Provided you find the right person, with children in the same age group!"

The rules of single-parent shared housing are the same as those of "classic" shared housing in terms of lease, guarantees, housing aid, rent. If you choose to go through Housing in exchange for services, it is better to formalize your relationship via an au pair employment contract