On Long Island, you are no more than another pesky weed ready to be torn from the earth. You are not wanted here, you are not welcome here, and by all means, just leave already. No, there isn’t someone shouting for you to leave from a podium; Long Island itself has personally written your eviction notice, and wants you gone. Since 2016, the median sale price of a home here in Suffolk County has risen from $325,000, to $571,000 in 2022, and that number isn’t going down anytime soon (Residential Median Sale Price). Rental options are just as astronomical; studio apartments are rarely under $1,800 per month, and even when they are, the utilities are often not included. While the minimum wage has doubled from $9 to $16 per hour since 2016, $9 wasn’t enough then, and $16 isn’t enough now. Students here at Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) are being left with an impossible situation: there is nowhere left that they can afford to live. Unfortunately, our students are trapped on the frontlines of a housing war that is being waged to wipe out the middle, and lower classes from Long Island. Unless the housing situation changes on Long Island, the average person will not be able to afford to live on Long Island, let alone attend SCCC, and if SCCC needs students, it needs to be a part of the housing solution moving forward.
It won’t take more than a brief trip to an app like Zillow, to see the problem with affordability in Suffolk County. Here, you will be bewildered by the sheer volume of available places for rent, that you probably can’t afford. Yet, it seems like no matter where you go down 347, or 25, the words “affordable housing,” are plastered all over the place; closely followed by: “55+ Community.” While it is great that Suffolk County puts forth a concentrated effort in retaining its elderly population, college age students will continue to be victims in the housing crisis, having no other choice but to move off island. It’s a simple equation: SCCC can’t teach students that don’t exist.
If we take a quick look at the college’s enrollment over the last 10 years, you’ll notice that in 2016 SCCC hit a peak, and has never quite been able to recover since COVID 19 in 2020 (SUNY Suffolk Historical). While the pandemic is certainly a factor in the declining enrollment for students, the real perpetrator is the housing epidemic we are facing right now. There needs to be a discussion about accommodations. As evidenced by all the housing projects on the island, there is no lack of real estate developers. If SCCC were to partner with one of these developers, SCCC would be a leader in the housing revolution.
These are apartments, not dorms, and therefore must not be limited to SCCC students, but to all who need affordable housing. SUNY Suffolk enrollees, however, would be offered a generous rate that should not exceed $1,000 per month. As a community college, it is our duty to prioritize our students’ well-being, and serve our community. Having a realistic, but reasonable rent for students is the most important factor, and the most certain way to boost enrollment year after year.
SUNY Suffolk’s motto is, “You Belong Here,” but I’m not sure that we do. Especially since the weekly grocery bill looks like a car payment, and the rent looks like a mortgage. Yes, affordability and Suffolk County seem like antonyms, but they don’t have to be, and they shouldn’t be. If SCCC became a pioneer for the affordable housing movement on Long Island, not only would the reputation of Suffolk skyrocket, but so would our enrollment. Affordable housing means that we can keep our youth in Suffolk, we can stop canceling classes, and we can be the starting point of a revolution to save Suffolk County.
Works Cited
Residential Median Sale Price Information by County, New York State Department of Tax and Finance, www.tax.ny.gov/research/property/assess/sales/resmedian.htm. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.
“SUNY Suffolk Historical Student Enrollment Dashboard.” SUNY Suffolk, www.sunysuffolk.edu/about-suffolk/office-of-planning-and-institutional-effectiveness/historical-student-enrollment-dashboard.jsp. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.