Client Corner: The Impact of the Cape's Housing Shortage
“It’s been so stressful. My landlord is in the process of selling the house I’ve lived in since 2010 and I have to move. He let me know that he wants to sell the house because the market is so strong; fortunately, he has been very accommodating in letting me remain in the home all summer and I’m grateful.” (Sheryl was kind enough to share her story with us in August as she searched for and ultimately found a new rental off Cape.)
Sheryl, who has lived in Falmouth since 2006, is a FSC client who participated in many of our programs over more than a dozen years, including Fresh Start, Thanksgiving, weekly grocery pick up and the clothing room to name a few. She operated an in-home daycare business in support of her family.
Closing the daycare late in August was an emotional time for Sheryl and for the parents of the children in her care. Saying good-bye to the children, many of whom she’s known since birth was particularly difficult as three of the children headed off to kindergarten, three more enrolled in pre-school, and three of the families were forced to adjust their work schedules as they searched for new daycare providers. In addition to the daycare closing, Sheryl has also been forced to split up her family in order to find housing, with her eldest son able to buy a home in Western Massachusetts and her daughter moving in with other family members.
“Priced out of buying and nothing to rent, year-round Cape residents are struggling with a brutal real estate market”
Late in August in another conversation with Sheryl, she was feeling hopeful, “Thankfully, I just found a place off Cape last week after searching for weeks without finding anything in or near Falmouth. It’s been hard for my 10 year old son because his world is turning upside down. I’m working to enroll him in the school up there and trying to work and pack at the same time. We’re visiting the new school in two weeks, and I’m interviewing now for a new job as a nanny.”
In fact, Sheryl’s story is not an unusual one and can be heard all across the Cape according to the Globe, “when the pandemic-era rush to buy homes in one of the country’s most desired vacation destinations has knocked the place’s already fragile economy out of balance.”
We share Sheryl’s story, with her permission, in an effort to underscore the importance of FSC services for so many families just like Sheryl’s; we share it also because she inspires us to remain hopeful in the face of these challenging times.