Rachel Cohen

After teaching in Maine public schools for more than three decades, she was preparing to leave her career for what would likely be a lower-paying job while also navigating other major changes—adjusting to life after the end of a 28-year marriage, downsizing from a house to a condo, and her third son moving out.

One afternoon, as Poirier listened to local news, she learned about Nesterly, an online platform matching older homeowners with younger renters seeking affordable housing.

The company had just launched a statewide partnership and pitched a simple concept.

In exchange for below-market rent, some tenants could help with light chores around the house.

I'm a natural worrier about money.

I just am that type of person, Poirier told Vox.

With my youngest son moving out, I thought, hmm, I have a little extra room.

I've always liked young people.

I taught high school and under-resourced youth, and I thought maybe this could be a good way to supplement my income.

Soon, she matched with Joseph Anzalone, a 20-year-old student at Southern Maine Community College who also juggled a full-time job at the Hyatt Hotel in Portland.

Poirier wasn't looking for help with mowing or shoveling, just someone to keep their space clean and handle their own dishes.

Anzalone was drawn to the idea of a quieter, off-campus space that, at $850 a month, cost hundreds less than a typical apartment in the area.

After signing a Nestor Lee agreement, which is like a rental lease but also includes expectations around shared spaces, quiet hours, guests, chores, and smoking, he moved in last August.

We got pretty close, Anzalone told Vox.

We had fun watching the presidential debate, played debate bingo, and since my family lives in Florida, she invited me to Thanksgiving with hers.

Poirier and Anzalone's arrangement highlights a trend emerging across the country, one that harnesses changing demographics and an acute housing shortage.

When Noelle Marcus, who would go on to found Nestorly, was studying urban planning at MIT, one statistic caught her attention.

Fifty-four million spare bedrooms sat empty each night in American homes.

And that's using a very conservative methodology, only counting occupied housing units, said Marcus.

That's a lot of real estate.