NEW YORK — It's not exactly “The Golden Girls,” but for Marcia Rosenfeld, it'll do.

Rosenfeld is among thousands of aging Americans taking part in home-sharing programs around the country that allow seniors to stay in their homes and save money while getting some much-needed companionship.

“It's a wonderful arrangement,” said the white-haired Rosenfeld, who when asked her age will only say she's a senior citizen. “The way the rents are these days, I couldn't stay here without it.”

She shares her two-bedroom, $1,000-a-month Brooklyn apartment with Carolyn Allen, a 69-year-old widow who has suffered two strokes and no longer wants to live alone.

Agencies who put such seniors together say the need appears to be growing as baby boomers age and struggle to deal with foreclosures, property taxes and rising rents. The typical situation involves an elderly woman, widowed or divorced, who has a house or an apartment with extra room and needs help with the upkeep.

“Our seniors want to remain part of the community they were raised in,” said Jackie Grossman, director of the home-sharing program at Open Communities in the Chicago suburbs. “They don't want to be just with other seniors. Maybe they love their garden, their tool shed, and they would have to give that up if they move into senior housing.”

At the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens, where applicants have tripled since 2008, the average boarder pays about $700 a month. The same average holds at the HIP Housing program in San Mateo, California, but it is about $500 at the St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center in Baltimore.

Agencies handle the background checks and other screening and consider various lifestyle criteria — smoking, pets, disposable income — in making matches. When a match is made the new roommates sign an agreement covering chores, overnight visitors, telephone use, etc.

Not all agencies limit applicants to seniors. In the New York program, only one of the two people has to be 60 or older.

In the past, program directors say, many of the people offering space were willing to take household help in lieu of rent. Recently, though, more people have insisted on cash.

But companionship is an important side benefit.

“Independence is great but isolation as we age is a growing concern, so companionship can be almost life-altering,” said Kirby Dunn, executive director of Homeshare Vermont in Burlington.

“People are telling us they're happier, sleeping better, eating better. ... If I could sell you a drug that did that, you'd pay a lot of money,” Dunn added.