Keeping younger people here

For any middle-income family, especially those with children, trying to live in the Northwest Corner, the expenses can be daunting. Even if family members have jobs (for some, even if they have several jobs), being able to afford housing, food, clothing, health care and anything else is a never-ending challenge.

Of course, there are many reasons why it’s worth it to persevere and find a way to make it work. There is a good educational system in Region One towns, and a pace of life and cultural values that give children a good environment in which to mature. Yet if young families cannot afford to live here, the public school system will serve fewer and fewer children, perhaps eventually only those whose parents work at the area private schools that provide their housing.

There are some bright spots for area affordable housing: It looks as if Sharon Ridge will be able to expand by 12 apartments if the state Bond Commission votes Friday, Dec. 9, as expected, to approve $3,149,105 as a grant-in-aid to support that expansion. (See story, Page A5.) North Canaan’s Geer community has received approval of $1,672,000 in federal Housing and Urban Development money for 10 apartments to be added to Beckley House, which already offers 24 apartments for senior independent living. 

There is a need for senior housing that is affordable as well, so the Geer project is welcome; but if steps aren’t taken to attract and keep younger people in the Northwest Corner, the region will continue on the road of being a bastion for seniors to the exclusion of all other age groups.

Housing is a major issue for young people, and, as reporter Karen Bartomioli noted in her article on housing problems in the Nov. 24 Lakeville Journal, the high cost of housing can often be a deciding factor in whether families who live here decide to relocate elsewhere. The Housing Fair at Geer Village in  North Canaan a few weeks ago offered good information for first-time homebuyers who are looking to remain in the Northwest Corner. Several different housing agencies gathered with a range of options available to a variety of household incomes. Such programs can make a real difference for area residents who might benefit from such help. 

But these programs can only work if Northwest Corner residents are supportive of them. If those who would live next to affordable or workforce homes such as the single-family homes built by the Salisbury Housing Trust, or to new multi-unit housing similar to Sharon Ridge, oppose new residences in their neighborhoods as a matter of course, none of the available housing help will make a difference. 

There needs to be a belief in and acceptance of the mutual benefits of a diverse community by the majority population here before any support programs can be truly successful.