On wealthy Martha's Vineyard, costly housing is forcing workers out and threatening public safety

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High housing costs on Martha’s Vineyard are forcing many regular workers to leave and threatening public safety.

These must-have Insider Deal household items are at unbeatable prices!Martha's Vineyard Regional High School administrator Sheryl Taylor, left, poses with her daughter Leelyn Thompson at the school on Tuesday June 4, 2024, in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. High housing costs on Martha's Vineyard are forcing many regular workers to leave and are threatening public safety. – Sheryl Taylor works as an administrator for Martha's Vineyard Regional High School.

A new report lays out in stark terms just how many low- and middle-income folks are being forced to move away from Martha's Vineyard as its popularity with wealthy vacationers soars, causing the year-round population of 20,000 to swell up to tenfold over summer. The report shows the average nightly rate among more than 3,000 short-term rentals is $931. And the average home price has more than doubled over the past 11 years to $2.3 million. Nearby Nantucket island is even more extreme, with the median home price reaching $3.55 million.

One trained correctional officer, he said, was forced to instead take cleaning jobs so she didn't earn too much and lose her access to low-income housing. Jason Merrill, who owns the Martha’s Vineyard Bike Rentals store, said people will often stop to ask him if he’s heard of any jobs that come with housing, or any housing options at all.

Olda Deda, an Albanian visiting on a student work visa, said she works three jobs — at a coffee shop and two restaurants — and a big chunk of her wages goes toward her $900 monthly rent. It's about three times higher than she would expect to pay in Europe, she said, and the housing costs came as a shock to her and many other seasonal workers.

 

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