Ryan Woltering (MSCD) wrote
I can say I am one of the few fortunate who have been able to return back to Long Island. I have been living out in CO for the past 5 years and have been nothing but miserable out there. I finally had enough money, and the emotional ability to leave my family and return to my home. It is very difficult to live here though as I am finding out. My rent is $850; which really isnt that bad, but in CO $850 would get me a 3 bedroom townhouse. Granted this isnt CO, and I dont expect that. It is just unbelievable how crazy the cost of living on Long Island is for the youth. How many of us even survive with out our parents is really unbelievable.

~ Post College Grad

Hi, I saw the story on LI News Tonight. I used to work there, but moved to Vegas because I didn't make enough money and couldn't afford my apartment without winning in poker. I seriously couldn't afford my rent unless I did well at a few tournies.
I am now back on Long Island working for the S.C.P.D. as a PR Specialist. All my money it seems goes to pay my rent. I save nothing and cant imagine ever being able to buy a house. When I die, I will die with no money saved I believe.
This is a great idea and I work alot, but if I can help in anyway I'd like to.
Rich Glanzer

I am a 23 year old recent college graduate. I went to school in Buffalo and just graduated in May. While in college, I worked a full-time retail job which barely made end meet but was enough to put gas in the car, food on the table and pay the rent. The city had great CHEAP nightlife and it was close to the colleges and apartments. I really got used to the 'cheaper' way of living and coming home to Long Island is a big shock. I returned home because there were very few job opportunities upstate. It was difficult to move BACK in with my parents but without them I dont know what i would be doing. I was lucky enough to get a job here but I unfortunately only make about $27K a year. How am i suppossed to live off of that? The benefits at my job are incredibly expensive and I have a car payment and biils each month. If I didn't live at home I wonder how I would even be able to afford rent. Unfortunately, the problem doesn't seem that it will be fixed anytime soon and I am looking into Florida and NC to move to. These cities have job opportunties and most importantly AFFORDABLE housing as well as affordable life. I LOVE Long Island and it's a great place to raise a family but the way things are going many others like myself will be forced to move elsewhere that is affordable. I am so glad that someone brought light to this problem and that I am not the only one in this predicament. Good Luck with everything and your launch meeting on Thursday!

~Eve~

Hello,
My name is tracy. I read the article on this topic in newsday the other day.i definetly knows what it feels like.i am 24 years old and i married my long time boyfriend of 9 years (26 yrs) this past may.he has a great job and i have one too.but bills and rent is out of this world. which it is forcing us to live in my childhood bedroom in my paretns house.which is very sad. it it hurts so much that we cannot afford rent between the 2 of us (3 jobs). we had high thoughts of moving to florida.but we are so in love with ny/long island and it would hurt for us to go.we have to try and stick out his job as long as possible because of his ny state retirement.i would love for them to add more affordable housing because we would like to have our own life and start a family so our kids may grow up on long island.i hope some thing is done soon.thank you very much for reading.

sincerely
tracy

Hello,

I recently read an article in Newsday about your grassroots campaign.
I am glad that your group is reaching out to the recent college
graduates here.

I am in the same boat. I have lived in Suffolk my entire life and
just finished my Masters degree in IT from a university upstate. I
was told about positions with an IT firm in San Jose and Boston, but
I preferred to stay on the Island. I really wish there were better
options for graduates here. I completely agree that if something is
not done to keep fresh minds here, the Island's economy will indeed
suffer. I know that if I don't find a position here soon, I will have
no choice but to relocate and leave my hometown behind.

I love Long Island and everything it has to offer. I would be
crestfallen to see what becomes of our great landscape if something
is not done.

Best Regards,

James Werner

Hey, great site, I hope that something can be done to make housing more affordable on Long Island. I too would love to stay on Long Island but find it too expensive. I am 36 now, went to college on Long Island, got a BA and then went to college to become a Registered Nurse, I am also a single mom but get child support. When all was said and done I was 31 when I was done with college. I worked hard all the way through college with hopes that I would get a good job, which I did, and be able to live better. It turns out that all I have now are a bunch of student loans and had to move back in with my MOTHER! Now that is sad. Sure I could go back and live on my own but I was just getting by and had nothing to look forward to as far as improving my quality of life. I don't know what more I can do. I thought I was doing the right thing by going to college if I wanted to live a certain way but on Long Island that is not the case. There are also plenty of jobs in my field as there is a nursing shortage. I would be interested to know what I should have gone to college for in order to live here. Anyway, good luck ! I think I will have to take my child, my education and skills to another state in order to live a better life. Unfortunately it is impossible to live here, even in a 'bad' area.
_College Educated Mom

My Name as you know is Elizabeth Gonzalez, I am 26 years old; I grew up in Brentwood , NY and still reside in Brentwood ; with my PARENTS! I graduated from Suffolk Community with an associate’s degree in Business Administration and I graduated from Farmingdale University with bachelor degree in Business Administration (Management Technology).

I have been in the real estate industry for about 7 years now. I was a property manager for 3 subsidized housing developments in Brentwood, Central Islip and Bay Shore for 5 years so I have seen the need for affordable housing for both the senior citizen and working force community.

Growing up on Long Island has been a wonderful experience for me and I am sad to have to leave in order to one day raise a family. I want my children to have a stable childhood and I want to raise them around my family who still live here; instead I have no choice but to deprive them of that opportunity. The cost of living is much too high and working 50-60 hours a week too make just enough to pay for a half a million dollar mortgage and monthly utilities is not the life I want to live.

Many of my friends have already graduated from top universities and moved to North Carolina , Florida and New Jersey due to the lack of affordable housing and jobs on Long Island . We are driving out our college graduates and Long Island ’s future.

How can I help?
Elizabeth Gonzalez

I’m a 22 year old college graduate seeking to find a place to live on Long Island . I grew up here, Long Island is my home. After spending the past two years at a university down south I quickly became accustomed to the cheaper way of living. I did not realize until I returned home how much more expensive it is to live here. I’m a New Yorker at heart, always have and always will be. College down south was a great place to get my education but I could never live down there. Moving off Long Island, needless to say New York all together is just not an option for me! I absolutely refuse to make that move! Right now I have been out of school since May. I landed myself a pretty decent job with benefits, but still it isn’t enough pay rent in the area where I work. As of now I am currently residing in the same room I have lived in for the past sixteen years! It’s childish, embarrassing and NOT A HOME OF MY OWN. Can the Stay On Long Island Organization help me?

Sincerely,
Laura Slagle of Huntington Station