- Teachers in Holland, Michigan are struggling to find affordable housing.
- School districts now offer subsidies to qualified staff to reduce turnover.
- Lillian Snooink, the first recipient of the grant, said she could afford a house for $25,000.
A teacher in Holland, Michigan, received a check for $25,000 to buy a home.
Living and working in the Netherlands, a population of approximately 34,000 on the shores of Lake Michigan between Chicago and Detroit, is becoming increasingly difficult for teachers.in a typical Dutch house Costs approximately $291,000 Average teacher salaries approaching $43,000based on Glassdoor estimates, many educators have been discounted from the real estate market, not to mention rising borrowing costs.
School districts are trying to change this by awarding grants to teachers so they can afford to buy homes in the communities where they teach.
Lillian Snooink, 23, is the first grant recipient to receive a check from a Dutch public school in January.
“It’s no secret that teachers don’t choose to be educators for the money,” Snoeink told Insider. But with the current housing market and prices, it can be very difficult for teachers to compete.”
In many parts of the country, housing costs have become so high that teachers are struggling. find an affordable homeThe crux of the problem is that educators underpaid and their wages not caught up With higher housing prices and rents.There are many programs — from national good neighbor next door To home of texas heroes To hometown hero florida — Intended to help teachers and other essential workers own their homes.
These programs are not the solution to the nation’s affordable housing crisis, but they do help make home ownership more attainable for some educators.
Snooink can afford to house hunt
Snoeyink is still looking for the perfect home, but Holland’s teachers live here The program is a “blessing” and will help you achieve your homeownership dreams.
“This grant has had a big impact on my homebuying search,” she said. You will have less financing, which will have a big impact on your monthly mortgage, and by saving your down payment, you will get more money for your renovations.”
Dutch public schools launched a subsidy program in January after struggling to attract and retain educators. Funded through the Dutch Education Foundation, the program aims to provide down payment support for up to 10 educators per academic year.
Nick Cassidy, Superintendent of Dutch Public Schools, told an insider, “Many of our teachers may have bought homes outside their communities and commute as much as 30 miles.” I think it helps us stay connected to our community.”
Holland Public Schools isn’t the only school district to take drastic steps to make housing affordable for employees. In Milpitas, a city on the southern tip of San Francisco Bay, the school district has come up with a radical solution. It’s about getting local families to take in underfunded teachers.
Sherrill Jordan, superintendent of the Milpitas Unified School District, said, “We lost some of the employees we were trying to recruit. Seeing the cost of living here, they decided it wasn’t possible. It’s from,” he said. Said NBC. Jordan said the program has drawn interest from many respondents looking to tutor.
Local officials, whether teachers in Holland or Milpitas or snowplow drivers in Colorado, are finding new ways to help local workers buy homes.
