FindMyRoommate Help - TheArcLink FindMyRoommate Matching System

Information on how to use this site:

How to SEARCH the listings

How to SIGN UP to post listings or use the message system

How to POST a listing

How to use the MESSAGE SYSTEM

Information on how to INVESTIGATE a listing

Guidelines for SAFE SEARCHING

GLOSSARY of terms

How to SEARCH the listings

To Search without Signing Up:
Searching without signing up allows you to see some basic information about listings that meet your criteria.
To see more details, and to use the message center to contact a lister, you will need to Sign Up.

Click on “Search” in the menu bar at the top of the page.

Select a state: Click on the arrow at the side of the drop down menu where it says “Select a state”.

Click on the state you are interested in.

Click on the button that says “Set My State”

Read the message from the sponsoring state agency – it will tell you who is served by FindMyRoommate in that state. The rules vary from state to state.

Click the “Continue with search” button under the sponsor’s message.

Enter any criteria that are important to you by using the drop down menus and the check boxes. If a criterion is not important to you, leave it blank, or leave “no preference” in the drop down box.

Listings that say “HOME” in the “Match Type” column are listings of people who have a home and want someone to move in with them.

Listings that say “ROOMMATE” are listings of people who want to move into someone else’s home, or find someone to go house hunting or apartment hunting with.

Many of the contact persons are case managers or supports coordinators. That is why you might see the same name several times.

If you see a listing that looks promising, you need to sign up in order to get more information. Click on the link that says “Login/Register to View Details”. This will take you to the signup page. Once you sign up, use the instructions in the section called “Search the Listings After Signing Up”

When you are finished looking at the listings, you can just close the browser window, or you can click “Sign Up” at the top of the page to be able to post you own listing. It is important to do this if you are seriously looking for a roommate.

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To Search the Listings After Signing Up:

On the FindMyRoommate.org homepage, click the “Sign-In” link toward the bottom of the page, or click “Sign In” on the menu bar at the top of the page.

Enter your email address and password in the boxes.

If you forgot your password, or get an error message, click “Forgot your password?” and then enter your email address in the box. Click “Reset Password”. When you do that, a temporary password will be emailed to you, so check your email and follow the instructions in the email.

You will then arrive directly at the state for which you registered.

If you want to search the listings look for the “Search” heading on the menu on the left side of the page.

If you are looking for people who have homes you can move into, click “Look for people who have homes to share.”

If you have a home and are looking for someone to be your roommate, click on “Look for people to share my home.”

If you want to see all listings in your area, click on “Search” on the menu bar at the top of the page. This list will include people looking for roommates to share their homes and people looking for homes they can move into.

Enter any criteria that are important to you by using the drop down menus and the check boxes. If a criterion is not important to you, leave it blank, or leave “no preference” in the drop down box.

Read the notice at the bottom of the page, and then click “Search!”

If you see a listing that interests you, click the Details link in the View Details column. Be sure to click in the row that has the listing you want to learn about.

You will then see more information about the listing. If it continues to interest you, click “Email” at the bottom of the page so you can send a message to the lister.

If you send an email, do not send your contact information. Just say you are interested in the listing and give a little information about what you are looking for and why the listing interests you. You can tell the person about yourself, but do not give a name, phone number, email address, or other information that would let the person figure out exactly who you are.

After you have exchanged enough email to feel comfortable that the listing is safe and that you are really interested, you can provide contact information and arrange a meeting.

We recommend that no one goes to a first meeting alone. Go with a friend, a case manager, or someone else who can help you decide and also make sure you are safe. Make sure that someone knows where you went and when you expect to be back.

If you want to go back and look at more listings, click on the “here” in “Click here to return to your search results.”

If you are finished, click “Sign Out” in the menu bar at the top of the page.

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How to SIGN UP to post listings or use the message system

You must sign up in order to see the details of each listing and to contact listers via the FindMyRoommate message system. When you sign up, you also can get a search list that matches what you are looking for – just people who have homes to share, or just people looking for somewhere to move. This is described in the section called “To Search the listings after signing up.”
In some states, anyone can sign up. In others, only certain people can sign up and then they help other people use the systems. The menu item for “position” on the sign up page will reflect the situation in your state.
To Sign UP:

Click the arrow next to the “Select a state” drop down menu and click on your state.

Click on “select a position”. That tells the system who you are. The positions are different in each state.

If you are a person with a disability, then a new drop down will open asking you to select a support person.

If you have a case manager or supports coordinator, you should list them.

If you don’t have a case manager or supports coordinator, but you do have a guardian, you should list them.

If you don’t have a case manager, supports coordinator, or guardian, then it’s a good idea to choose a family member, friend, or advocate to assist you. You don’t have to, though; you can also choose “I am working on my own.”

The support person will get copies of all the messages that you get or send, so they can help you make sure that all messages are safe and appropriate. They can also help you figure out how you feel about listings and messages. They can help you search, too.

If you are assisting someone, in most states you can help them list themselves and then list yourself as the support person. This is best when the person with a disability is actively participating in the search.

Fill out your first name, last name, email address, and daytime phone number in the boxes.

Put the zip code where you live now, or the zip code of the area where you want to live (like someone who you want to leave near – a friend or family member, perhaps). If you put a zip code that is different from where you live now, and you receive government services, talk to your case manager or someone to make sure that you can move to another area without upsetting your services.

Use the map to figure out what “home region” you live in. Click on “Map” in “See Map” to do that. Then use the drop down menu to tell FindMyRoommate what your region is.

Make up a password that you will be able to remember. It has to have at least 6 characters, and include at least one alphabet letter and one number. It matters whether the letters are capitals or small letters. Be sure to write down the password in a safe place, and to write it down in writing you can read and that is clear about capitals and small letters. (It also should be clear about letters and numbers that can look alike, like the numeral for “one” and capital “I” or small L.) If you do forget your password, it is not a disaster. You can tell the system and get a chance to make up a new one.

After you type the password you made up, type it in again in the “Password Confirmation” box.

When you’re all finished, click the “Sign Up” button at the bottom of the form.

Watch your email – you will receive a confirmation email. Click on the link in the confirmation email to complete the Sign Up process.

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How to POST a listing

To post a listing you must first Sign Up.

When you first sign in, you will be taken to your Account page. If you want to get to that page from elsewhere in the site, click on “My Account” at the top of whatever pate you are on.
On the left side of “My Account, choose the kind of listing you want to post under “Post”.
If you are looking for someone to move in with you in a home you already have, then choose “I have space in my home.”
If you are looking for a place to move to, and maybe someone to search with, choose “I am looking for a home to share.”
In either case, fill out the information on the next page describing yourself (or the person looking for a roommate, if you are a support person).

For the age range, estimate the range of ages you think you would be comfortable with. If you want someone close to your own age, use a narrow range around your own age. If you don’t care as much about age as other things, then make a wide range or just leave the options as “no preference”.
For “type of support”, choose “independent” if you do not require assistance (paid or not) to manage your everyday life. Choose “supported” if you do need reliable assistance to manage your daily life.
For “funding type”, choose “state” if you use funds or services provided by the state to meet some or all of your support needs, and “private” if you use resources of your own or from family, friends, or non-governmental sources such as insurance proceeds or legal settlements.
For “diet preference” at the bottom, state requirements like kosher or hallal foods, a gluten-free diet, a diabetic diet, and so forth. It also makes sense to list being a vegetarian or vegan, if that is important to you. When you read “diet preferences”, however, remember that it may not be necessary for all roommates to follow the same dietary rules unless that is what they want.

Read over your answers on the form, and when you have said what you want to say, click the “Post” button at the bottom of the page.
A new page will open where you can provide optional information about yourself. This information does not limit who comes up in searches, but it does give other people a chance to get a better idea whether you would be a good roommate for them.
You can edit your post at any time by going to “My Account” and then to “View all your listings”. You can then click “View/Edit” to make changes.
You can delete a post by going to “My Account” and then to “View all your listings.” Then click “Delete” next to the post you want to delete.

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The message system allows you to communicate with people you find in the listings without revealing any personal contact information until you have decided you want to go forward with exploring this match and until you feel safe in doing so.

It is a good idea to talk about the things that are “make or break” in your first message. For example, if you are allergic to cats and cannot live with a cat, you should say so right away. You can also talk about what you are hoping for in a housing situation, but be clear if something is negotiable.
Try to respond to all messages you get very promptly. Once a person contacts you, they are usually very anxious to hear back and see whether they have found a roommate.
It’s a very good idea to include a second person in this process to help you make sure your own messages say what you want to say and do not reveal information you are not ready to share. That person can also help respond to what the other person’s messages say.
When you are at the point of wanting to share contact information, see the person and the housing itself, you should conduct a background check on the other person, just to be extra sure all is well. We talk about that in the section called “Information on how to INVESTIGATE a listing”.

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Information on how to INVESTIGATE a listing

Criminal background check: The contact information for getting a check on whether the person has been convicted of any crimes is different in each state. If you run a search for “[state name] criminal background check” you will find links to agencies that will give you this information. Pay attention to the source of the information and whether there is a fee. This service should be free or very low cost. You can also ask your local police department how to conduct a check.

Remember that some people might have something on their background check that is not important to you. For example, in many states, some people on the sex offender list were convicted of underage sex when they and their boyfriend or girlfriend had sex even though they both were entirely consenting. You may not care about this – if you don’t, then go ahead with exploring the possible “
Also remember that a person only gets into the records system when they are caught and convicted. Some people do bad things but haven’t been caught.

In addition to the background check, you should get personal references for your professional roommate. If you and the other person both have case managers, make sure the case managers talk to each other. You can also ask your support person to talk to the person or to their support person, or you can do it yourself.
You may want to talk to the person’s old roommates, if they have any, or to someone else who knows the person. You will need to get permission to do this. Remember that if two roommates had a fight, that does not mean you would not get along with the person.

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Guidelines for SAFE SEARCHING

Do not include information that reveals contact information (name, telephone number, address, club memberships, name of school, and so forth)
The FindMyRoommate email system allows you to communicate with a potential roommate without revealing your own email address. Use the system until you are confident that it is safe to reveal you email address and other identifying information. (See “How to use the message system” for more advice.)
When it comes time to meet the potential roommate in person, have someone with you and make sure other people know where you went and when you will check in with them.
Pay attention to your instincts. If something does not feel right, investigate. You may be wrong, but don’t push your worries to the side. If you feel uneasy while in someone’s home, ask if you can talk while going for a walk, or just excuse yourself and say you need to leave and you will be back in touch.
Make sure that everything in the listing is true and is what you need. For example, if you need access for your wheelchair, make sure the place works for you – sometimes people who don’t use wheelchairs don’t know how much room you need for turns and things like that. If there is public transportation near the home, make sure the schedule meets you needs.
It is a good idea to explore a possible new neighborhood and to visit it at night as well as during the day.
Make sure you understand how paying will work and what expenses you will be expected to share or cover.

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Glossary

The site glossary explains the meaning of terms on the website. If you find a word or a glossary entry confusing, please tell us by using “Contact Us”.

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Contact Us

If you have any questions or comments about the site, you send us an email.
Please include the following information:

The state you are in.
The question, problem, or comment you have.
A telephone number, if you want us to respond by telephone instead of email.

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