THE WORKFORCE HOUSING CRISIS IS ALREADY HERE.
Teachers, nurses, first responders, and service workers are being pushed farther away. Sussex is feeling the impact.
The Sussex Economic Development Action Committee is on the ground across Sussex County, inviting workers, employers, and families to share their experiences and help our community move forward.
Why is this crisis still solvable?
Your neighbor is waiting six months for a medical appointment as staffing shortages delay care and strain emergency services.
Yesterday, your child’s teacher quit after spending nearly $500 a month just to get to work.
Across Sussex County, the people we rely on every day can no longer afford to live where they serve.
We believe this problem can still be solved — and it starts with listening.
What are people across Sussex experiencing?
Have you been unable to find housing near your job? Has your business struggled to find employees due to housing challenges?
SEDAC is listening — and inviting workers, employers, and families across Sussex County to be part of the conversation.
You do not need to be an expert or have a solution. Your experience is enough. You can share as much or as little as you’re comfortable with.
Stories may be shared anonymously. Participation is always voluntary.
What do we mean by workforce housing?
Workforce housing is for people who work full time in our community but earn too much to qualify for traditional affordable housing and too little to compete in today’s housing market.
These are teachers, healthcare professionals, first responders, and service workers. They are being priced out because housing costs have outpaced wages.
WHO IS BEING PRICED OUT
Workers earning 50% to 120% of the area median income are priced out of local housing, forcing many to drive 30 to 60 miles because they can’t afford housing near their place of work.
A starting teacher earns about $48,000 a year, around $3,200 a month after taxes. At that salary and standard underwriting for a 30-year loan, that teacher would only qualify for a home that cost around $165,000.
That’s 74% of take-home pay!
That’s 74% of
take-home pay!
What are workers facing?
A nurse driving nearly an hour to work
She has missed emergency calls due to distance and spends hundreds of dollars each month on gas. What happens to patient care when a nurse lives nearly an hour away?
A teacher whose commute adds hours to her day
Twelve-hour days forced her to step back from coaching and school events. What does a school lose when a teacher can no longer stay beyond the classroom?
A restaurant manager heading home after midnight
Long drives after late shifts lead to exhaustion and a paycheck drained by gas and car repairs. What do fatigue and turnover cost a workplace and the people it serves?
Why solutions stall — and
what we can fix
Why solutions stall — and what we can fix
Housing costs jumped while wages didn’t. Older zoning and short-term rentals limit year-round homes. New projects often stall over traffic, property values, or “neighborhood character.” But long commutes create more traffic, strong services protect home values, and teachers and nurses strengthen neighborhoods.
Sussex can move forward with simple steps — allowing ADUs, letting builders include a few attainable homes, updating outdated zoning, and supporting employers investing in housing.
Other places have already done this:
- Aspen, CO: More than 3,000 workforce homes built.
- Santa Barbara, CA: Countywide coalition built public support.
- Beaufort County, SC: Hospital helped fund homes for its workers.
They started small, built awareness, and kept working. Sussex is at the starting line. What do we want people to say about us five, ten, and twenty years from now? Sussex is at that starting point now.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
If we wait,
schools lose teachers, ER waits grow, businesses cut hours, families leave, and property values dip as services weaken.
If we act,
workers live nearby, businesses stay open, families stay, quality of life improves for everyone, and market rate property values increase.
A Sussex where “local” actually means local.
A Sussex where “local” actually
