Vinalhaven is working to alleviate its workforce housing shortage with a $1.2 million initiative partially funded by a MaineHousing grant.
The project will result in several year-round rentals that will hold a covenant to ensure they remain affordable for teachers, first responders, and the elderly who live and work on Vinalhaven.
"Not only are we losing people from here, we're having a hard time attracting the specialized talent that we sometimes need that might not be available here on the island. It's making it hard to recruit the people we need to keep the town running," says Dylan Jackson, project director for the Vinalhaven Housing Initiative.
Jackson says the average home price on Vinalhaven is $400,000, out of reach for workers, and those homes are getting scooped up by seasonal residents.
"A person making the average median income out here of $73,000 is eligible for a $250,000 home. The math is not working here for working class people to get a home out here," he says.
Because building on an island is more expensive, the initiative will recycle a Department of Transportation dorm once used for ferry workers, and bring in a fully built modular home on a barge. Two other housing units will also be built.
Jackson says the goal is to have them ready for residents next fall.