Ok, so perhaps this is not free, but depending on how you work it out, it could be. The idea I have had for years and now older with adult children, I still feel like it could work. Now, my sister is working where she is basically paid to sleep sometimes, so better than free. Here is the idea, as the nation ages, there are many people that need attention or some "care". Now, not talking about true medical care, but help with basic tasks, maybe family is not able to help or too far away or the person is well off and just needs help with preparing food, light house work, maybe driving back and forth to doctor appointments. Here is the bottom line, my sister works as a care giver for 12 hours at a time and paid. Sometimes the shift is at night and she sleeps, getting paid. That is one thought, that maybe can be extended into taking a room over in a house for someone you are caring for. The other idea that I have had for years is just that. Perhaps an older retired couple or single person needs help with light house work, cooking, cleaning, transportation to church or meetings or doctor appointments. You can provide that for the payment of staying on site for free. Now, you still need to make money to purchase things, so not sure that would work for a family, but it could depending on the arrangement. Perhaps the person has a vacation home and the security fees are high or problems with break ins. Well, you live there when they are out of town and keep in real clean. They give you a few days notice and you find alternative space while they visit their vacation home for a weekend or week, etc. Maybe you work in a condo complex watching multiple homes and staying in different ones making a small amount from each one. That may work for a family, rather like a house sitting permanent location or a caretaker for a condo complex. If you can do minor repairs and contract out the major ones, even better. The bottom line is flexibility and adaptability. If you have home improvement skills, gardening skills and social skills, I believe it would not take long to find someone willing to let you stay in a location for rent free or nearly rent free in exchange for work/ services/ guard duty, etc. Obviously it would get more complicated for a family. I have even seen a situation where someone live on a storage lot for home items storage, rent a closet type idea and provided night security and daytime assistance for those that needed into their storage units. This can even apply to boats at a dock. If someone has a house boat and uses it every other weekend in season, but the rest of the time is was sitting vacant and liable to damage or theft, then you could house sit a house boat, or boats while owners paid you to live there. Again, just ideas for you to pursue, but I firmly believe it is doable, just takes some research. Obviously if you have a spotty record with the law, these may not work out for you. I would highly recommend some character witnesses and recommendations to help settle anyone's fears. Hope that helps someone looking.
Richard
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