East Bay Rent Is High. Here's the Arrangement Nobody Told You About.

Oakland averages around $2,300 a month for a one-bedroom. Berkeley runs closer to $2,800, and that is before utilities, parking, and the dining hall meal plan you stopped using in October. For a student at UC Berkeley, Cal State East Bay, Saint Mary's, Mills College at Northeastern University, Berkeley City College, Contra Costa College, Laney College or any of the other colleges in the region, the budget is tight  before the semester even starts.

Most students end up commuting from far away, splitting a crowded apartment, or quietly going into more debt. There is another option most people have not heard of yet.

JoeyCo matches college students with local homeowners who have a spare room and could use some help around the house. You live there, pay below-market rent, and work flexible hours each week doing whatever the household actually needs. Grocery runs, dog walking, errands, light tasks. One arrangement, two problems solved.

For example, live in Lafayette with two hosts who need some help with meals a couple nights a week, dog walking, and friendly conversation. 

The flexibility is real. Your hours and tasks are agreed upon before you move in. Heavy exam week, practice schedule, a quarter that looks completely different from the last one. It all gets factored in. This is not a second job. It is a living situation designed to work around your life.

We are placing students with hosts across Oakland, Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda, with new opportunities arising all the time. These communities put UC Berkeley students about twenty minutes from campus, Saint Mary's students minutes from Moraga, and Cal State East Bay students with easy freeway access. BART and Highway 24 make it all navigable. The commute works. The rent works better.

If you are curious about this intergenerational living opportunity check out below!

CBS News covered our model watch to learn more!

Apply here withjoey.com/joey-app or reach out at nanik@withjoey.com.

The East Bay does not need another article about the housing crisis. It needs a few more households willing to try something new.

Have more questions about how being a Joey actually works? We answer the honest ones here.