Snezhanka Stefanova was in a serious bind before she met Jeanne Falla.

The 20-year-old would soon be without a home. Her parents planned to move back to their native Bulgaria, but the recent high school graduate had lived in Contra Costa County most of her life. She wanted to start college and didn’t want to leave her friends.

“In order for me to stay here, I had to figure out how I’m going to live on my own,” said Stefanova, now 21, who was juggling two part-time jobs at the time.

Enter 64-year-old Falla, a semi-retired former federal worker who was looking to rent out a room in her Walnut Creek townhouse. The two women were introduced through the nonprofit Home Match Contra Costa County, talked and decided they could be compatible roommates, despite the gap in age and life experience.

That’s the purpose of Home Match: to connect seniors, who are seeking additional income and companionship, with local workers, students and others in need of affordable housing in the astronomically expensive Bay Area. The free service puts considerable work into vetting clients, with criminal background checks, home visits, detailed questionnaires and interviews.

“I think the whole idea of having a roommate is great,” said Falla, adding that the $1,000 rent Stefanova pays each month has helped “a lot.”

Taking in a roommate is the only way some seniors can afford to stay in their homes, said Luke Barnesmoore, strategy director for Home Match, which is an initiative of Front Porch, a nonprofit that runs more than 50 affordable and market-rate senior housing communities in California and other states.

The average age of home providers is 72. About a quarter have at least one disability, or mobility issues or fall risks that make it difficult for them to live alone, Barnesmoore said. In such cases, a home provider might negotiate help with household chores or errands in exchange for reduced rent.

“This can address the problems of social isolation, allowing home providers to age in place,” Barnesmoore said.