Guide: Developing Individual Profiles for Home Sharing

Link to the Guide: LINK

A well developed individual profile is essential for creating stable and respectful home sharing arrangements. The purpose of this guide is to support the development of profiles that go beyond basic information and provide a deeper understanding of the person, their life, their relationships, and the supports they may need. When profiles focus only on medical needs or support tasks, important aspects of the person’s identity and everyday life can be overlooked. This guide encourages a broader approach.

People make decisions every day about how they live their lives. These decisions include how they spend their money, what they eat, how they travel, who they spend time with, how they express their culture and identity, and what goals they want to pursue. Some people make these decisions independently. Others make decisions with support from family members, representatives, or professionals. Understanding how decisions are made and who is involved is an important part of planning successful home sharing arrangements.

Home sharing works best when the person is understood as a whole individual. This includes their identity, culture, values, preferences, relationships, and daily routines. It also includes practical considerations such as health needs, communication styles, assistive devices, financial management, transportation, employment, and community connections. A comprehensive profile helps ensure that the person’s voice is reflected and that the supports in place respect their rights, choices, and dignity.

Profiles developed using this guide are intended to support informed matching decisions between individuals and home sharing providers. They can also support ongoing planning, communication among support networks, and continuity of care when circumstances change. By capturing information across key areas of daily life, the profile becomes a practical tool that helps providers, agencies, and families understand how to support the person in a way that promotes stability, independence, and belonging.

This guide is designed for coordinators, agencies, families, and others involved in supporting individuals in home sharing arrangements. It provides a structured way to gather and organize information so that decisions about living arrangements, supports, and compatibility can be made thoughtfully and respectfully. The goal is not simply to document needs, but to understand the person and the life they want to live.