Take a look at our Help Wanted ads this week. There are jobs aplenty — mostly seasonal, but it happens every spring around here. Restaurants and hotels are trying to fill their staffs for the summer season and there are a variety of positions open at several establishments.

For the past several summers, we've heard that many restaurants and motels haven't been able to fill all the positions they've wanted. One of the main reasons for this is the shortage of affordable housing. College students and young families can't afford what there is for housing -- and there is definitely a shortage of any kind of housing for seasonal residents.

Times have changed from when I was working in the restaurant business from the mid-’70s to the early ’80s. Many co-workers at the Tugboat Inn, Fisherman's Wharf, Lobsterman's Wharf and even Everybody's found rents easily, as homeowners rented rooms, apartments, and even houses. For a variety of reasons, those rooms, apartments and houses have either been bought up and are being used as year-round or seasonal homes, some homeowners aren't renting because they are tired of dealing with delinquent or rowdy renters, and some houses have been converted into B & Bs.

And, compared to the ’70s and ’80s, there are now many more restaurants, shops, motels, and other businesses in the area, thus more positions to fill. Some establishments have built or bought homes to house their workers, but not all business owners are in a position to do that.

I have recently tried to help a young couple who plan on moving to the area find a rent in the Boothbay region. They tried but couldn’t find an affordable rent in the region. I sent them some ads from a neighboring newspaper and after calling the advertiser, all three rentals in Damariscotta/Newcastle had been filled. They have since found a six-month rental in Bath and may have a chance to rent later in the Wiscasset area.

That’s how bad it is. Several area workers are commuting from Wiscasset, Damariscotta, Bath and beyond to work in the region. 

Perhaps the trend will change someday, but for the time being, short-term housing is at a premium and the problem seems to be getting worse every summer.