Strapped homeowners consider boarders

NEW YORK, July 16 (UPI) -- Social service agencies that find boarders for financially distressed U.S. homeowners say they're seeing more interest in the programs.

Thanks in part to the growing number of residential mortgage foreclosures, a rising number of homeowners are considering taking in boarders to keep their homes, The New York Times reported Wednesday. They sometimes turn to agencies that screen boarders to help overcome a fear of strangers.

Before the housing crisis, it was mainly elderly or disabled people looking for boarders to provide help around the house. But that's changing, one agency official said.

"Historically, the people who come to us have been looking for someone to provide services in the home," Kirby Dunn, executive director of HomeShare Vermont, told the Times. "But now, money is the bigger issue for folks. There's definitely an increase in people looking for a revenue stream."

Another program, St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center of Baltimore, says it conducts background checks on prospective boarders and the homeowner, eliminating those with criminal records or histories of drug or alcohol abuse. It uses a 10-point questionnaire on feelings about pets, smoking, overnight guests and other points of compatibility, the newspaper said.