Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

A “small program” that could keep Massachusetts from losing its twenty-something residents

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I call our economy “harsh” because while 90,000 jobs requiring college degrees go unfilled, minimum wage jobs are not sufficient to secure housing and food without working more than one job for most young adults, as well as having multiple room mates.  Our manufacturing sector is also shrinking, though once those jobs provided real livelihoods.

Several times over the years, about seven times, to my best recollection, friends of our own college student kids found themselves through no fault of their own without housing.  

We took them in one by one, in bunk beds, and they found jobs, returned to college, and stayed with us until they could live independently.  These were young adults between age 20 and 24 who had parents move out of state while they were in college, or had no functioning parent, etc.  

Each of them abided by house rules, went to school, found jobs, paid off debt, and are today living independently.  All of them joined our household homeless and in danger of dropping out.  

They all followed house rules, which included that our home is tobacco free, alcohol free, drug free and a place where we treat each other with respect and courtesy [from time to time what constitutes “respect and courtesy” became a typed contract – just as good fences make good neighbors, clear rules make for good boundaries].

I propose a “Contract for College Program” where such young adults and host families would sign a contract.  The unused bedrooms in those empty-nester homes would slow the leakage of our young adults to other states.  

Such a program would also raise college graduation rates and keep those jobs in Massachusetts that, because they cannot now be filled here, lead companies to locate elsewhere.  The same administrative structure created for the Commonwealth Corps could administer this program.

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Comments

  2. ….that you regularly provide compassionate, considerate and out of the box solutions and proposal offered up for debate here on BMG, especially because you walk the walk.

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    p>It is refreshing to read and idea worthy of consideration.

  3. Short of “doing good” of course.

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    p>After all, they’ll lose the privacy they’ve finally gotten after living without it for 18+ years.  Their utility bills will go up.  They’ll gain the additional difficulties that comes with living in shared space.

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    p>All for what?

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    p>I could see renting a room — even at a few hundred bucks a month just to help offset the property taxes.  But letting a to-you-unknown 19 year old live in your home gratis?  I just don’t see it happening.

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    p>P.S.  If the student is able to transfer to a 4 year college before graduating from CC, does that count against graduation rates?

  4. In New York they have a similar system whereby elderly residents that would welcome the company, the help around the house and a few extra dollars each month are matched up with youngh, single adults who are looking to avoid paying exorbitant rents and would also welcome the company, etc.

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    p>There’s absolutely no reason why a similar system couldn’t be established in MA.

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    p>Congrats, AmberPaw, on having the foresight to raise the issue.

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