“Raising a child in a single-mother household is difficult.”
“I just got divorced, and it’s difficult to balance work and childcare…”
There might be many mothers facing a problem like this.
We recommend single-mother families to live in a sharehouse to balance work and childcare.
Sharehouses have some advantages for single-mother families, like saving the cost of living because of low rent and being a part of the community. As a result, many families felt that it become easier to raise their children.
In fact, the number of real estate companies that have started sharehouse business by renovating empty properties and of management companies that create sharehouses for single-mother families has been increasing to reduce the burden on single-mother families.
So, in this article, we talk about:
・Housing situation of single-mother families
・Advantages and disadvantages of living in a sharehouse for single-mother families
・Reason why we recommend a sharehouse for single-mother families
・Recommended websites and sharehouses
Some may feel, “I’m a bit worried about living in a sharehouse without enough preparation…,” but nothing is difficult just to know the advantages and disadvantages.
Please refer to this article to get an idea of what it’s like to live in a sharehouse!
Problems when single-mother families look for a house
It’s still quite challenging for single-mother families to rent a regular apartment or a house.
For example, let’s take a look at governmental support for single-mother families. While there are exemptions for medical expenses and national pensions, there is little or no housing allowance to subsidize rent.
First of all, housing allowance is a program only available to people in the following categories among those who rent a residence for a family.
・Paying more than ¥10,000 per month for rent
・Not in the livelihood protection system
Moreover, housing allowance is a program made by local municipalities. Some local cities even don’t offer the program.
Also, there are not many single mothers working full-time. Many of them earn their living through temporary and part-time jobs. Since wages are low, it is difficult for incomes to rise.
Programs such as child-rearing allowance also tend to go to the cost of children’s education mostly. It’s hard to utilize it for living expenses.
Based on the above, in many cases, single-mother families, who have an unstable income image, cannot pass the screening process or need a guarantor to rent a house.
With the current situation that it is difficult to rent a house, sharehouses for single-mother families are gaining attention. We will explain in detail next.
The advantages for single-mother families to live in a sharehouse
A sharehouse means a rental property that multiple people share one house and live together.
While sharing the entrance, kitchen, bathroom, and living room, there is still privacy in a private room. It is a way of life that has been getting attention in recent years.
The advantages of sharehouse are below.
・Communal living creates a new community
・Saving the cost of living because of low rent
・Located in a good place, in many cases
Mothers who need to support their families by themselves may feel anxious about what to do from now on and what kind of programs are available for childcare and livelihood support.
Being near other single mothers facing similar problems helps them support each other by sharing information and confiding one’s worry to others.
And of all the expenses in a month, housing has the highest percentage.
For a sharehouse, multiple people share one house so that the cost for rent can be kept low. Initial expenses, such as key money for security deposit and purchase of furniture and home appliances, are not as high as regular apartments.
Also, most sharehouses are located in a good place close to public transportation such as trains and buses. Children can come back home right after school, and it doesn’t take long for them to get to school.
If children can get home in a short distance and time, they are less likely to encounter suspicious people, which makes their mothers feel safer.
We will explain about the reason why sharehouses are in good locations.
Many sharehouses are in good locations because it’s easy to get more residents
The reason why sharehouses are in good locations is more people move in than a house or a rental apartment.
Indeed, the closer houses are to public transportation, the higher the land’s price will be. However, if houses are run as sharehouses, the more residents move in, and the management company will receive more rental income.
As the rental income that the management company receives rises, they can keep rent low. Many people want to save the living cost, so sharehouses tend to attract people.
The following are especially important for single-mother families when looking for a house.
・Easy access to nearby nursery school
・Cloese to a station
A key point is the convenience of living from the time children are young until they leave their parents’ home.
Low rent and convenience are factors that single-mother families appreciate. Many sharehouses are in good locations to fulfill this kind of need.
The disadvantages for single-mother families to live in a sharehouse
On the contrary, living in a sharehouse has some disadvantages for some single-mothers.
The following are examples.
・Differences in values of life could cause stress in relationships
・Bothered by noise because of the difference in life rhythms
・Cannot have a private time
Since we all come from different backgrounds, we often have different values, such as how to take out the garbage or wash dishes.
Also, since everyone shares all the housework that used to be only mothers’ burden in a sharehouse, they need to decide who will be in charge of which housework.
Moreover, relationships can become complicated, and troubles can make it difficult to stay because there is always someone at home.
We don’t want mothers who have been through so much to feel even more stressed and burdened.
Please understand the disadvantages above and choose a way of life that suits your family.
Reason why we recommend living in a sharehouse for single-mother families
We recommend single-mother families to live in a sharehouse since it becomes easy to balance childcare and work.
For single mothers, who often feel anxious and impatient, thinking that they cannot survive without work and cannot fall, balancing work and childcare must be a top priority.
It’s quite hard to find a place to live while communicating with others under challenging circumstances.
Also, talking with other mothers in the same situation would be a refreshing change of pace and ease your mind.
By having someone you can go talk to, it becomes easy to balance work and childcare.
Mother Port introduces sharehouses for single-mother families
Mother Port is a website that introduces sharehouses for single-mother families, providing information on properties throughout Japan, with a focus on Tokyo and Kanagawa.
Mr. Akiyama, the founder of Mother Port, launched it in 2012 with the idea of “being a port where single-mothers can take a break and get the information they need for future” and also “being a port of working mothers.”
Its goal is to make it easier for single-mothers to balance work and family and reduce the burden of single-mother families who are rejected moving in due to being a single-mother family and facing the difficulty in finding a place to live.
Some sharehouses on the website even introduce jobs and nursery schools.
Single-mother families, thinking that they don’t want their child to feel unhappy, have the right to live freely and happily, too.
A sharehouse can be one of the keys that supports single-mother families.
Yurai House, a sharehouse that supports women and single-mother families
Please let us introduce one of our sharehouse for single-mother families.
We recommend Yurai House in Kumamoto to single-mother families. This sharehouse is owned by Yukiko Tajiri, who used to be a midwife and public health nurse.
Recommended points are:
・The owner is a professional in childcare and counseling, so you can a lot secured and assured
・Easy to live since there are hospitals, banks, post offices, and supermarkets in the neighborhood
・Many spots such as parks for children to have fun around the sharehouse
It’s recommended for families who want to live in a convenient place and have someone they can talk to.
[Details]
・Rent + Common service fee: ¥30,800 + ¥10,000
・The number of rooms: 3
・The number of residents: 3 at maximum
・The nearest bus stops: Tosaka-iriguchi on Kyushu Sanko Bus, and Yomochi on Kumamoto Toshi Bus
・Recommended for: people searching for a female-only sharehouse, and also women who want to ask for advice about raising children
Summary: Single-mother families can make their lives easier by moving into a sharehouse
In this time, we explained the reason why we recommend sharehouses for single-mother families.
In summary, the biggest hurdle for single-mother families is “balancing work and childcare.” Also, the initial cost and rent are pretty high to rent an apartment, so life tends to become difficult.
Therefore, we introduced the following three advantages of living in a sharehouse for single-mother families.
・Communal living creates a new community
・Saving the cost of living because of low rent
・Located in a good place, in many cases
Of course, there are some disadvantages, but creating a community and belonging to it often makes people feel less alone.
Also, we introduced the following website and sharehouse for single-mother families.
・Mother Port
・Yurai House
Please refer to this article and consider moving into a sharehouse for single-mother families.
Moreover, living in a sharehouse is recommended not only for single-mother families but also for divorced people.
