To the Editor:
In a Letter to the Editor in the March 24 issue of this paper, a writer made an excellent argument for the need for housing on the Island. I strongly concur. Teachers, emergency personnel, health workers, and others who want to live on the Island and not commute daily, will require more housing than is currently available.
While commuting is an option, it is expensive, and not always reliable. On the other hand, housing, when it is available, is expensive. I recently was a “guest” of the hospital. During my stay, I had occasion to speak to nurses and other personnel about housing. On a number of occasions it was clear that these folks were struggling to find adequate housing. One person was living in one room with a small child and a dog. She was also working a double shift to pay for it.
In his March 24th letter, the writer asks that the community find a solution for the housing problem. The solution is in front of us. In the coming weeks, town citizens will be asked to vote on an article approving the housing bank.
Actually, two votes will be required — at annual town meeting and at the town election. Information about the article can be found on the website of the Coalition to Create the MV Housing Bank, ccmvhb.org.
This is one of the most significant and important issues to face Island residents in recent memory. Please attend your town meeting and vote YES on the article to approve the housing bank. Thank you!
Ted Jochsberger
West Tisbury
