Sparking a discussion on community housing

Community Housing Board (CHB) Co-chairwoman Mary-Faith Westervelt and Councilwoman Chris Lewis, liaison to the CHB, hope a March 27 forum at Town Hall on the housing issue will create interest and momentum.

Ms. Westervelt is optimistic about the forum because of the response she’s received from those invited to the event — business owners, school and town officials, firefighters, and police and emergency services workers.

She’s hopeful it provides a boost to the CHB, which has been limping along because those in need of housing have been slow to register their interests and the town has yet to identify housing possibilities.

Ms. Lewis told the Reporter that one consequence of a lack of community housing — sometimes called “workforce” or “affordable” housing — especially for young people, means that in the future the town would be faced with hiring a professional, rather than a volunteer fire department and ambulance service, noting that many members of these two groups are aging.

She recently visited community housing developments in East Hampton and reported that they seem to be successful projects because that town has a united front of the business community and elected officials recognizing the need and supporting efforts to achieve solutions.

There are three developments in East Hampton and a fourth is under way, all on town-owned land that are attractive units, Ms. Lewis said, looking like condominium duplexes. Within each community, there are shared services such as a laundry area. Some are occupied by couples with families, others by seniors. Although small in size, Ms. Lewis described the accommodations as “very nice.”

While Monday evening’s forum is open to the public, Ms. Westervelt asked specific people in the community to offer input during a roundtable discussion. Some of the information she and her CHB colleagues are seeking are:

• The number of employment opportunities business owners have had in the past two years, along with information on the types of jobs and salaries offered
• What jobs are year-round and which are seasonal and whether employers believed their ability to fill jobs has been affected by a lack of local housing
• Whether employers have or could provide housing for workers
• The ability to retain workers long-term
• Whether departing employees or those applying for jobs have spoken about housing concerns in relation to their being able to work here
• For organizations, whether membership has been affected by the current housing situation and how leaders view the future of their organizations based on current membership projections
• The types of housing options that would attract and retain employees and volunteers

All are welcome to the forum at Town Hall on Monday, March 27 at 7 p.m.