Obi Helpers was founded by Calvin, a Stanford Engineering graduate, shown above baking with his late grandmother, Wanda. Following her passing in March 2022, Calvin's grandfather, Jim, found himself in need of assistance with various household tasks. These were simple yet essential chores, like rides to appointments and help with laundry, tasks that his wife had once managed or that had become increasingly challenging with age. The cost of professional care was prohibitively high and threatened to rapidly deplete his hard-earned retirement savings. Consequently, much of the responsibility fell on family members, straining their already busy schedules.

Obi Helpers emerged from the realization that Jim's beautiful home had a spare bedroom that could have offered excellent accommodation to someone working in downtown Seattle or studying at the nearby University of Washington. Without depleting his retirement savings, he could have traded that room for assistance with the tasks he needed help with. Moreover, Jim would have relished the company of a housemate to share his home with and exchange stories.

The problem was the absence of a reliable way to find high quality and thoroughly vetted Housemates for this type of arrangement. If no one within your friends and family network is available, finding a Housemate becomes a daunting challenge. Obi Helpers was created to address this gap. Our mission is to provide the kind of exchange service Calvin's grandfather wanted and needed.