• LETTER from DAVID FLYNN

Challenge For Candidate:

Affordable Housing

To the Editor:

This is in regards to letters written about Oneonta and attracting young people to work in our area.

What is needed is housing for all working individuals, as most housing in the City of Oneonta is geared for our student population.

There aren’t homes available to purchase that could be within the reach of these “young people,” nor are there sufficient apartments available to rent, as we have at least four student housing rental corporations that have accumulated houses and apartments to meet off-campus student housing services. This is a similar problem in many countries though. Young people in the UK also seem to struggle with housing prices. However, the UK government has introduced policies, such as the right to buy scheme, to help people afford to own a house. This does lead to more ownership of homes instead of rentals, giving more people the chance to have their own property.

Back in America, it makes fiscal sense, when you can earn $11,700 for a three-bedroom home renting to students per semester, so for nine months you collect $23,400. Then comes the baseball season with Dreams Park and Cooperstown All-Star Village, 12 weeks at a minimum of $2,000-$10,000 a week for an additional $24,000-$120,000.

So jobs would be great, but in Oneonta there is no housing to support an influx of new residents.

In addition, for those of us who are nearing retirement age, there too is a lack of adequate housing to meet those needs. Try finding a one-bedroom apartment that is affordable, by which I mean under $750, as wages in our area are low.

DAVID FLYNN

Oneonta