Where Do The Children Play?

October 17th, 2007 category: Real Estate News

The Cat Stevens tune has been in my head since reading the Newsday article that can be found here.

What of the numerous young people finding the cost of living on Long Island impossible?

There seem to be two colliding trains of thought: the younger contingent is leaving due to expenses and a lack of affordable housing. Our island is a pressure cooker of expenses, with no end in sight. Despite a drop in home pricing, for many of those freshly out of college, renting something commensurate with their brand new salaries is daunting, and a mortgage- out of the question. So, where do our kids go, without a proactive effort to offer alternatives? To keep the kids here, we need to offer help. Fast.

The younger contingent is leaving due to expenses and a lack of affordable housing. That’s life. It’s expensive everywhere; kids in large numbers are returning home until solid footing is achieved (scary thought) and when they CAN afford it, they can earn like their predecessors and enjoy the privilege of remaining in the area.

As mentioned in the above Newsday link, a “mass exodus” could potentially have far reaching effects, as the availability of “starting salaried” employees seek to live where eating out is possible for them without bouncing a check. Or debit. For those whose families have enjoyed the area for years, accepting this reality can be tough. For people interested in this dilemma, a website www.stayonlongisland.com is a grassroots effort by young people to generate support. They are kids who would clearly like to stay; perhaps their mission will provide success. We hope so.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 17th, 2007 at 1:17 pm and is filed under Real Estate News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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