State Rep. Dylan Fernandes, D-Falmouth, visited Harbor Homes of Martha’s Vineyard’s 111 New York Ave. property to present a giant $300,000 check from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the nonprofit.
New York Ave. House is a program designed to shelter women and to reintegrate residents into the Island community. To support this effort, Fernandes took steps to secure the $300,000 ARPA money during the Massachusetts House of Representatives’ negotiations in October. The money will be used by Harbor Homes to pay for the mortgage on New York Ave. House, and operational costs.
“Housing is the biggest issue facing Martha’s Vineyard. Obviously, there are long-term issues like climate change and the Vineyard falling into the sea. But, the short-term issue — housing — there’s nothing greater,” Fernandes said.
To combat the homelessness and home-insecurity issue on the Island, Harbor Homes is not the only one working on it.
“We got help from a couple of different community agencies. One of them is our partner Island Housing Trust, which has been a great partnership and helped us purchase two homes,” Harbor Homes executive director Karen Tewhey said. “Another is a very special partnership with the Cottagers. They basically adopted the house, and gave us ongoing support and gifts for the women, holiday, and festivity; it’s been off to a great start.”
Fernandes made a further point about the housing-insecurity issue, such as people living in Manuel F. Correllus State Forest. “No one on Martha’s Vineyard, one of the wealthiest places in the world, and one of the wealthiest states in the country, and the wealthiest nation in the world, should be living housing-insecure,” Fernandes said.
The check was a good start, but. Fernandes said, it will take a thousand more steps to really grapple with this issue. “I can tell you as a millennial, my generation is screwed, quite frankly,” Fernandes said. “It’s impossible to own a home in our district.”
“Obviously, there are long-term issues like climate change and the Vineyard falling into the sea”. Fernandes is a child. Wide eyed and ignorant of the world.
Rep. Fernandes, I would like you to reference a list that rates Martha’s Vineyard as one of the wealthiest places in the world to live, or anyone else. I wonder what number the island is rated.
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