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I heard that missionaries are going to start living in members homes instead of having apartments? Does anyone know about this? I think its a great idea and will save a lot of money in the missionary fund. My mission for example could have used way cheaper homes. I wouldn't have mind living with all the other squatters in the biggest slums in the world. The only thing i thought was appropriate was we usually had security guards.

Missionaries only spend a few hours a day in their apartments anyways.

falisrm wrote:I heard that missionaries are going to start living in members homes instead of having apartments? Does anyone know about this? I think its a great idea and will save a lot of money in the missionary fund. My mission for example could have used way cheaper homes. I wouldn't have mind living with all the other squatters in the biggest slums in the world. The only thing i thought was appropriate was we usually had security guards.

Missionaries only spend a few hours a day in their apartments anyways.

Missionaries have been living in members homes in our area for as long as I can remember. In fact, my wife and I hosted the Missionaries for a couple years. Around here, it is $1500/mo for the smallest appartment possible, which I'm sure contributed to the decision to use members as resources.

Brad O.

falisrm wrote:I heard that missionaries are going to start living in members homes instead of having apartments? Does anyone know about this?

FYI, the stake reimburses the host family for utility expenses. Currently it is $75/month in the US. The check is written from a special category that is reimbursed by the Church, so there is no actual cost to the stake.

can members make plans with the mission president and the missionaries to host if they want? Is there anything else that members can do to contribute to lowering costs? I'm sure missions are looking for ways to living costs.

falisrm wrote:can members make plans with the mission president and the missionaries to host if they want? Is there anything else that members can do to contribute to lowering costs? I'm sure missions are looking for ways to living costs.

There is a list of requirements for the apartment -- issues with privacy, what children the host family has, etc.

I know in our area that missionaries appreciate getting rides with members where possible, as even those with cars have limited miles that they are allowed to travel each month. And of course, having members along to participate in lessons is always helpful.

Our mission (Colorado Denver North) was one of three missions that piloted this, starting three years ago. Today, 100% of our missionaries are housed in member homes. There was a letter sent out to Mission and Stake Presidents about qualifications for housing but basically, it is only being implemented in North America, and host families cannot have any children under 12 in the home, no teenagers or single people of the opposite sex in the home. Though the letter isn't exactly clear, older single sisters can house the missionaries, if the Bishop and Stake President approve.

You do NOT want to ask for volunteers over the pulpit for two reasons: You'll get volunteers that you don't want to host the missionaries, and it's not a volunteer thing anyway - it's a calling, just like any other: the Bishop should call the host(s) into his office and extend a call. You're asking them to live the law of sacrifice. They are reimbursed $75 by the stake per month for misc. expenses, but it is NOT rent.

We've found that it is far easier to find 6 host families at a time than it is one at a time. If you only ask one at a time, they are reluctant to accept, as there is no end date, and they will worry about having them forever. (Some like having missionaries, but not everyone does.) If you have many hosts all arranged, you can set up a cooperative, where everyone takes turns for 3-6 months, and you rotate through. This is acceptable to most people. It also allows you to have backups available in case grandkids come to visit for a few days.

We look at it as a blessing to both the missionaries and the members. Missionaries are more obedient, are happier, and we find out about problems before they become big problems. The financial side is just an additional benefit. The mission president gets about one phone call a month from hosts with issues, out of 70 host families.

Brian, that is an excellent description of the program (I have also read the letter), and your added insights will help us as we try to implement it in our stake.

Our challenge is that we just do not have very many members with an extra room that do not have children or teenagers that disqualify, at least according to the requirements in the letter.

What is the demographic of the families who are called? Are they mostly older couples whose children are no longer at home? Or are we not thinking far enough out of the box here?

lajackson wrote:What is the demographic of the families who are called? Are they mostly older couples whose children are no longer at home? Or are we not thinking far enough out of the box here?

The demographic varies a lot - some hosts are recent empty nesters; some are elderly couples; we have a fair amount of widows, who like knowing there is someone else in the home. I think widows are often overlooked, but are great hostesses. We rely heavily on Bishops and Stake Presidents to know if any host is suitable, including a widow. We also have some wards that host two sets of missionaries because another adjacent ward can't find anyone - yet.

Some of our stakes are full of younger members, so it is harder for them to find host familes. It sounds like your stake may be in this situation. Many of our stakes, though, are older, and have many potential host families in each ward.

Just a few weeks ago, I was talking to the stake president in our 'youngest' stake, and he said he would rather go without missionaries than go back to housing them in apartments, as it is such a blessing to the members, and recognized the importance it was to the members of his stake to host the missionaries.

At first, it took a big leap of faith to find host families. Many stakes said they wouldn't be able to find anyone, but our mission president just started cancelling leases. Many times, the wards hadn't found anyone, with just two weeks before the lease expired, but homes were (miraculously) found in every instance. Now, stakes are much more comfortable with it.

bcpalmer60 wrote:Some of our stakes are full of younger members, so it is harder for them to find host familes. It sounds like your stake may be in this situation.

We have mostly active duty military, with hundreds of servicemen deployed. Nevertheless, your ideas will be very helpful as we take a fresh look at this challenge. Thanks again for your inputs.

I know growing up most of the missionaries already lived in properties of members. They built additions for missionaries or they lived in a nice barn. Too bad i won't qualify to host the missionaries. I think its a great idea and i hope it continues to do well.