Housing Advisory Board

Harmony About Housing – By Keith Torkelson, MS, BS

Introduction

Characters

>There are five (5) principal characters in our story (this study). Keith “Buster” Torkelson, MS, an author, I designate as character 5. I am Avey C. I assist with writing and editing as needed (PRN). We list and score some of Buster’s associates in the context of “Renting a Shared Room” (RASR). We derived (formulated) two assessments for this paper: Harmony 15 Screener & Harmony 18. In the post-scoring form, both are included here. For some of the Harmony 18 calculations, we wrote an Excel Scorer. We are involved in approximately 12 efforts related to Housing and Living Arrangements. This report includes Roommate Match Harmony data describing our associations with four (4) others. In approximately eight (8) years, Buster has worked his Roommate Match Harmony (18 Items) Score (RMHS) from 36.1% to 90.0% where High Scores are Favorable (HSF). As of August 17, 2025, Buster’s very good match, John Baer, went to the hospital. Eventually, he expired.

Take Away – Lesson Learned

>With each of our assessment rounds, we gain more insight into the nature of Buster’s illnesses as well as successes. We would like others to fare better than Buster. For him, life has been quite challenging. If you can: Use commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) assessments when you can. If you can’t find one or more assessments that capture the lived experience about your topic, it might be best to write or derive your own. We continue to promote our Binary Plus Scoring Method. Amongst many benefits, we find it more precise, accurate, and less error-prone. The most important thing we learned from this study is that it would be far more efficient to have two display screens or possibly two laptops to work with concurrently.

Binary-Plus Scoring Method (B+SM)

Binary Scoring Method (BSM) – Modified Dichotomous Scoring – Binary Plus

Introduction - Cast of Characters

Multiple IDs – Progressive Transparency - Secrecy

>In order to not get in trouble, reviewing our landlords and the people of interest, we came up with codes for the various people. Below are a few examples.

Character Cipher – Most featured in this report (X)

Guarded Transparency – People who deserve to be remembered

Associated Documents (Files) > Theme = Matching > Metadata >

02_Assess_Roommate_Preferences_17120702_Develop V2019

Report Includes

Harmony – 15-Item Screener

Roommate Match Harmony Scores (RMHS)

Roommate Match Harmony Assessment (RMHA-MSG 18 Item Beta)

Associated Files > Metadata >

Results up Front – Summary

Tallied by: Keith Torkelson

Partial List about Renting a Shared Room – Associations and Experiences

Subject is Keith “Buster” Torkelson, MS, BS

Results - Data Tables

Relative to Keith “Buster” Torkelson (Subject)

Partial List & Scoring Rent a Shared Room – Associations and Experiences

Longitudinal

##	Character	2024 1224 (TU) Retro Mark QSM	Note (Shared @...)
1	Lanaii Torkelson	P	Parents - Oldest sister – Natural Support
2	Lawrence Chan	P	UC Davis Castilian
3	Tom Simmons	P	UC Davis Castilian
4	Jack Terril	P	Davis Piñon Apartments (8B)
5	DeWitt C	P	Wit’s Died Too Young (DTY)
6	Chad Carlsen	P	Avalon Laguna Niguel #287 - Circa 2000, on my watch, he had a costly relapse
7	Joan Zhorne	S	Weekends and holidays, then a Shared apartment at Pasadena Village Apartments
8	Mark Barnes	P	“Doheny” Irvine Now living at “The River.”
9	Keith Wadding	F	Julie’s > In Colorado at last check
10	Doug Keith	P	Julie’s > Reported dead (DTY)
11	Mike O	S	STS Poor health
11	Errol Stewart	S	STS - Missing In Action (MIA)
12	Rochester C	F	STS - Died @ home
12	William S	F	STS – Neurologically & Physically disabled
13	Mikel Roby	S	STS – Comes and goes
14	Agent “J” Tviede	S	STS - 2024 died @ home - Moved in June 10, 2020
15	Theodore “Ted” Francis	F	STS - 2024 found dead in bed - Move in (Circa) 2016 - June 28, 2021, Buster moved in with him
16	Dang	S	Leisure – Missing In Action (MIA)
17	Ruben James Duron	S	Harvest room 102 December 7, 2024-SA-Expired
18	Tim Knight	F	Harvest room 123 (2025)
19	John Baer	P	Harvest room 105 (2025)

Harmony 12

Cast Of Characters – History - Partial List of RASR Associations

Concentration about SleepAble Situations - Environments & Agents

SleepAble Harmony Scoring (RMH- Quick Score 12 Characters)

Longitudinal

#	Moniker	2024 1216 (TH) Retro Harmony Score QSM	Note
1	Control – Lawrence DC	1.00	UCD dorm roommate- Alignment of efforts
2	Control – Tom S	1.00	UCD dorm roommate - Alignment of efforts
3	Doug Keith	0.75	Room to be used only for sleep and rest
4	Keith Wadding	0.00	Gambled all night long - Destroyed property, bully
5	Rodney Spink	0.25	Interfered with sleep
6	Errol Stewart	0.50	Made crunchy bag food noises at night
6	Mike O	0.50	On top bunk - Shook the bed while choking his chicken
7	Keith and Basalt	0.00	Basalt had a terrible cough & made snort–hack noises all day and night long
7	BillM = William S	0.00	On the top bunk - Shook the bed violently all night long
8	Rochester Cannon = Basalt	0.00	Snort – Cough – Hack [Ditto]
9	Mikel Roby	0.50	Unable to rest and sit still- Using Spice drug
10	Agent John “J” Tviede	0.25	COPD noises day and night
11	Theodore “Ted” Francis = Zep	0.75	Slight annoyances at night – Eventually 0.00 due to untreated Sleep Apnea and Mental Disturbance
12	John Baer (2025)	1.00	8/4/25 (M) Went to hospital :0(
	CALC	=6.50/12
	SleepAble Harmony Score (HSF) =	54.2%	Partial Life Time

QSM = Quick Score Method | UCD = UC Davis

Duplicate Numbers (#s)

>Duplicate numbers indicate that the room was shared by three people. We frown upon rooms being shared by more than two people. In this report, we will address crowding next. At Julie’s House, rooms were limited to two people. At Shanks Truck Stop, two of the rooms had bunk beds and were shared by three people.

FAQ

What is the healthiest combination 2 adults in one room or 3 adults in one room?

Overcrowding

When considering the healthiest living arrangement between two or three adults in one room, factors related to overcrowding and its impact on physical and mental health are significant. Overcrowding is generally defined as more than 2 people per bedroom or multiple families in one residence. It has been consistently linked to negative health outcomes:

Increased risk of infectious diseases

Crowding can facilitate the spread of diseases, particularly those transmitted through close contact, like respiratory infections (including TB and COVID-19). Studies have shown a positive association between overcrowding and infectious diseases like tuberculosis and diarrhea.

Negative impact on mental health

Crowding can lead to psychological distress, higher stress levels, and poor sleep quality. In fact, overcrowded housing trajectories have been associated with an increase in depressive symptoms.

Reduced indoor air quality

Insufficient ventilation in crowded spaces can lead to a build-up of indoor pollutants, impacting respiratory health.

Potential for increased social tensions

Crowding can also contribute to social tensions within the household.

Recommendation

Therefore, while a room may physically accommodate three adults, it is generally healthier to have fewer individuals per room to avoid the detrimental effects of overcrowding.

Harmony 15

FAQ - What does harmony mean in humans?

If people are living in harmony with each other, they are living together peacefully rather than fighting or arguing.

Harmony – 15-Item Screener

Design by Avey C.: Scored by = Keith “Buster” Torkelson

Date Generated: 20250620-F: AW = Association With | JB = John Baer

Harmony and Coping Behaviors

Harmony, in the context of mental well-being, often relates to a state of balance, peace, and positive relationships, while coping behaviors are the strategies individuals use to manage stress, challenges, and difficult emotions. Cultivating healthy coping mechanisms can lead to greater resilience and the ability to maintain harmony even amidst life's inevitable stressors.

Coping Method - Roommate Matching (Inventory & STR)

Coping and Charting, and Documenting – Out Of Scope

Psycho-social Inventories

Psychosocial inventories are assessment tools used to evaluate an individual's psychosocial development and functioning. They often explore various aspects of a person's life, including their social interactions, emotional well-being, and overall mental health. These inventories can be used to measure psychosocial strengths, identify areas of difficulty, and track changes over time, particularly in relation to Erikson's stages of psychosocial development.

Associated with > Metadata >

06_Psychosocial_Erikson_21022601_Notes V2025

By Preference for an Adaptive Environment

"Adaptive preferences," in the context of environmental preference, refer to how individuals adjust their desires or expectations based on their current circumstances or past experiences within an environment. This means a person might come to prefer things that are realistically achievable or that they have become accustomed to, rather than holding onto ideal or unattainable desires.

Associated Documents > Metadata >

04_SCR_RASR_John_20082902_Notes

02_Assess_Roommate_Harmony_17120701_Develop V2025

In House > Context > Harmony > Metadata >

Roommate Match Harmony Score (RMHS)

Roommate Match Harmony Assessment (RMHA 18 Items - MSG Beta)

Parent Document > Metadata >

DORMIR_4.0_Product_Roommate_17030201_Matching

Plan to show this one to Dr. Nagel

>We chartered this report back on December 7, 2017. Eventually, we fine-tuned for sharing with Dr. J Nagel. We were making progress towards creating an Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) driven Housing Advisory Board (2021). Then he was re-assigned and fell off our radar. This material on Roommate Matching is content material for our Housing Solutions Bundle Innovative Project Idea (IPI). As of December 9, 2024, our project idea has been generalized, and we are sharing it online via our Blog(s).

Dr. Nagel > Metadata >

Table – Housing and Living Arrangements Efforts - Harmony

Bilateral – Diad / Dyad

A "dyad" or "diad" (sometimes spelled either way) refers to a group of two individuals, often in the context of a social interaction or relationship, according to the American Psychological Association (APA).

Trilateral – Triad

>A triad might be described as: “A group or set of three connected people or things”. Again, we find that three or more people in a room long-term to be too complicated and may impair the health of the individuals.

Summary

2017, 2019, 2025 – Roommate Match Harmony Score (RMHS) – 18 Items

Associations scored by Keith Torkelson