On wealthy Martha's Vineyard, costly housing is forcing workers out and threatening public safety
High housing costs on Martha’s Vineyard are forcing many regular workers to leave and threatening public safety
VINEYARD HAVEN, Mass. — Sheryl Taylor works as an administrator for Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. Each summer, she has to leave the island or stay with friends because she can't afford the high seasonal rents.
How high? The average vacation home rents for $6,500 a week.
“I have spent a significant amount of time couch surfing,” said Taylor, the school’s equity and access coordinator. “With my suitcase in my car, and moving one or two nights here and there with friends on the island.”
Taylor’s plight reflects that of many on the Massachusetts island off Cape Cod. There are plenty of jobs, but restaurants and stores often can’t find enough staff because workers can't afford to live there. Officials worry public safety is being compromised because they can’t retain or lure correctional officers or 911 dispatchers.
Landlords stand to make far more money from short-term tourists than from year-round residents. Meanwhile, many island homes remain almost permanently vacant, their wealthy owners uninterested in renting them out between fleeting visits.
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.
In 2012, 40% of islanders earned less than $50,000 a year, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission housing report found. Ten years later, the figure had dropped to 23%. The proportion of people earning between $50,000 and $100,000 also fell over that time, while those earning more than $100,000 almost
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