WEYBRDIGE — With 18 bird feeders hanging outside his window, Joe Roberts, 87, has a front row seat to what he calls nature’s television.

Having driven nearly two and a half million miles across the country, the former long-distance trucker and business owner has retired to a quiet home overlooking one of the more pleasant parts of Addison County.

Living on a large, rural property doesn’t get any easier as you get older, Roberts said. Realizing he needed companionship and help with keeping the house in good shape, Roberts applied to HomeShare Vermont to find a housemate.

The nonprofit matched Roberts, who needed someone to just be around the house, with Wayne Roy, who was looking for a new place to live that fit his lifestyle.

Roy, 71, came to Vermont over 15 years ago and has no plans to ever leave, saying he loves the peace and quiet of the forest surrounding Roberts’s property.

Roberts and Roy have been living together for seven years and say that things couldn’t be better.

Founded in 1982, HomeShare Vermont is a non-profit organization that enables Vermonters to offer a private bedroom and shared common space in exchange for rent or help around the house ranging from chores to transportation and meal support.

Ric Cengeri, a spokesperson for HomeShare Vermont, said that the organization has an extensive matching process that aims to make compatible matches based on interests, lifestyles and needs of different individuals. Cengeri said that many elderly hosts would prefer to live with older guests whom they have an easier time relating to while others love to connect with younger individuals just starting out in their careers.

HomeShare Vermont also conducts extensive background checks on all applicants to ensure the safety and compatibility of potential housemate matches.

Roberts and Roy said that being honest and understanding are essential to being a good housemate. Both said that neither of them had any anxiety going into the matching process, noting that HomeShare Vermont did a great job catering to their needs and values as seniors.

While HomeShare Vermont is open to Vermonters of all ages, backgrounds and incomes, Cengeri said the organization’s primary focus is on helping Vermont seniors age in place safely and sustainably. A report released by HomeShare found that the average age of those sharing their homes is 72, with 86% of those individuals saying they felt safer in their home while having someone living with them.

“The health outcomes for seniors are clearly more positive for those who can stay safely at home and stay socially connected. If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that social connection is not a luxury as much as a necessity for health, happiness and vitality,” Cengeri said.

HomeShare Vermont is also keenly aware of the state’s struggle with affordability. Not only are high housing costs making it harder for the state to attract younger workers to bolster the workforce, but more and more elderly Vermonters are having a harder time making ends meet, especially when living on a fixed income. Around 30% of Vermont seniors are cost burdened, meaning they spend more than a third of their income on housing costs.

“This is not a sustainable way to live and is paired with a hardworking but overtaxed assisted and supportive living infrastructure. Investments in those options need to happen but, in the meantime, we need to focus on giving older Vermonters more options,” Cengeri said.

Roy, who is now retired, said that when he arrived in Vermont, he would struggle to afford rent and Vermont’s higher-than-average cost of living despite waking up at 4 a.m. every morning and working full-time. It was not until he applied to HomeShare Vermont and started living with Roberts that he was finally able to achieve financial stability.

Living under the same roof, Roy checks up on Roberts throughout the day and helps run errands. They often work outside together, cutting and stacking wood in preparation for Vermont’s long winters, or sit outside and chat for hours. The two of them said that each other’s companionship was the most significant thing they’ve gained since entering HomeShare Vermont’s program.

“I know where my bread is buttered. I wake up every morning and do something to help Joe,” Roy said.

“I can’t give him enough credit. I would have a hard time surviving out here without Wayne,” Roberts said.