Home Sharing

July 11, 2004|Thomas Monnay

Maxine Etienne, a single mother with four children, lived with her mother in Miami for about a year so she could save for a house.

It wasn't long enough.

"Home prices are skyrocketing," said Etienne, 36, a Haitian-Bahamian who works as an AIDS prevention educator.

"I'm hoping interest rates will go down or something happens."

While she waits, Etienne and a friend have rented a three-bedroom, one-bath house near Pembroke Park for $1,200 a month.

Etienne and her 12-year-old son sleep in one room. The friend also shares a room with a son.

Three girls -- two of Etienne's daughters and the friend's daughter -- share bunk beds in the other bedroom. They each have a child living away from them.

"The children don't mind. They get along," Etienne said. "They know it's a temporary fix until we purchase a house."

Still, she said, "it's difficult sharing a house because people have their own sets of rules."

--Thomas Monnay

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