Moving in with Someone Like You

Moving in with Someone Like You

19 September 2014, 2:48PM
Marieke Esveld

Photo caption:  Prue Lowen

All over the country, thousands of women are living alone, in homes that are too big for them, feeling socially isolated, a little lonely, and even a little bit vulnerable.

Waikato-based entrepreneur Prue Lowen has found an answer to their problems, by establishing someonelikeme.co.nz. This unique website helps match up women looking to share a home, helping prevent loneliness and the financial struggles that can come from living alone.

Unlike traditional accommodation websites, Someonelikeme.co.nz gives women the chance to find like-minded individuals to live with instead of yet another flat full of 20-somethings.

Raised in Northland, Prue has lived and worked in Australia for over twenty years. While in Australia, she rented a house with a friend and another woman. “It was an amazing house with a built in squash court,” she says. “I had sold my house but hadn’t found anything I wanted to buy yet, so this was a good option in between. Not to mention, we had an incredible amount of fun together.”

After the home she rented sold, Prue had hoped to move into another house with the same friend and two other women but sadly, her friend passed away before that could happen. “We were so excited to be four single women living together, each with our own space. I was quite keen for happy hour at home with the girls!” It became clear to Prue that living with other women was a lifestyle that suited her well.

When she eventually moved back to New Zealand, Prue brought a man with her, which she describes in hindsight as “a very bad move” due to loneliness. She ended up having to leave the property she had bought, putting her right back at square one for accommodation. Luckily, she was able to board with a colleague, which was a great first step towards getting back on her feet.

The inspiration for someonelikeme.co.nz came to Prue while working in real estate. Through her work, she found many women living a very isolated existence, in small, lonely units, and thought about how much nicer it would be for these women to live together.

“I’ve found from personal experience, that that living alone can be very socially isolating,” she reflects. “For me, my best weekends have been the ones where I go away with my wonderful female friends. They’re always filled with dancing and laughing. You can have a lot of fun with a group of women, in a way that you can’t by yourself.

When Prue came up with the idea, a friend said she would have left an unhappy relationship much sooner if there had been somewhere to go, as this service offers. “I made friends by joining a club,” Prue says. “I walked into it not knowing a soul – but I know that I lot of women aren’t confident enough to do that, so they are left isolated and without other housing options.”

Someonelikeme.co.nz allows women to list their profile and find someone compatible to live with – like a dating website but for housemates! Once they’ve joined, they have access to the profiles of women all over the country, and can contact them to arrange meet ups. They can then organise shared accommodation for any period of time, whether a few weeks, a few months, or a few years.

Prue has joined Someonelikeme.co.nz herself, and is looking for fabulous women with whom they can share a home and company. Someone Like Me offers fun, vibrant and independent women an opportunity to find companionship and ease their financial burden. If you’re interested in knowing more, visit http://someonelikeme.co.nz/

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