Bay Area startup helps college students cut down on rent costs by doing chores

By Itay Hod

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — A Bay Area startup is taking a different approach in an attempt to help solve the housing crisis by using a matchmaking platform to connect college students and homeowners.

When most students have called it a day, Nanik Tagore is just getting started.

A shooting guard for the Dominican University men’s basketball team, he’s got range, control and a shot that rarely misses. But when it came time to find housing in the Bay Area, he was out of his league.

“San Rafael is one of the most expensive places to live,” Tagore said. “So, I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to live on my own.”

That’s when he came across a new startup called Joey — a platform that matches students with homeowners who need a little help around the house.

Tagore now pays $1,700 for a room in Marin County. But he works off about $500 of that doing chores that don’t show up on a resume but say a lot about a person: walking the dog, sorting the mail, taking out the trash, even making lunch.

Because of employment regulations, renters in the Joey program pay full rent upfront, then get reimbursed for the hours they work — a workaround designed to stay compliant with labor laws.

He now lives with Paige and Jason Miller, a couple who could use the help. Jason is a full-time caregiver. Paige Miller is living with early-stage dementia. She can’t drive, and Jason works long hours running a company.

“My worry actually was Paige,” Jason Miller said. “Would she feel comfortable having somebody else live in the house?”

Turns out, she was more than comfortable.

“It gives me back my freedom,” Paige Miller said. “And he’s great to have around. He laughs at my jokes.”

With roughly 60% of U.S. homes containing at least one spare bedroom, Joey’s founder Alison Donnally sees untapped potential.

“It just didn’t make sense to me why we couldn’t have something similar to an au pair, but for older adults,” she said.

Tagore is the first person to be placed through the app, but Donnally said applications are already being processed.

“What we can do at JoeyCo is create more bedroom inventory for these students,” she said.

As for Tagore, he said he’s found more than just a place to stay.

“It doesn’t feel like work,” he said. “It doesn’t feel like a chore to lend a helping hand.”

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