Letty: Turning Financial Needs into Affordable Housing Opportunity

My name is Leticia Hernandez de la Rosa. In the very beginning, I wanted to open my house, not because I wanted to, but because we needed help financially. That is when we started hosting students.

Why did you decide to homeshare with Sparrow?

I decided to homeshare with Sparrow because I'm comfortable with what they do. They screened the students and they showed us some documents which I'm so happy about. I used to host students and they'd just come in without any information at all. They're screening us, too. So everybody's safe and comfortable with each other before they match us up.

How has homesharing changed your routine?

It doesn't because I'm giving them their personal space, whatever they want to do. They just let me know if someone's going to come. I don't mind. We treat each other like family, actually. They're very nice. Those two girls are beautiful and very nice. I don't have any complaints.

Can you share a memorable moment from your homesharing experience?

We had a barbecue once. My children were there, so I prepared a nice meal. I set it up really nice, and when they came out and saw what I did they said, "Letty, it's so fancy!". We ate and my son chatted with them for so long - that's this very comfortable environment we've had so far. They're very nice.

What makes Sparrow different from other platforms?

I feel comfortable and safe to accept strangers in my house because of what Sparrow does - like screening the students and sending me all the documents that I need. I'm not scared anymore to welcome strangers from somewhere. Besides that, Sparrow assures me that whatever problem I have, I can give them a call and they will address whatever issues I have with them. So far I don't have any.