The conventional progression from first apartment to nuclear family to empty nester doesn’t work for lots of people who have less conventional and more complex housing needs. Temporary workers are important to many leisure, hospitality, and retail trade businesses, especially in Seasonal Communities like the Cape and Islands. On Cape Cod the number of private sector jobs in July 2023 was 27,000 more than in February of that year. Many of these seasonal jobs are filled by workers who live elsewhere for the rest of the year. These workers become part of the seasonal population but their housing needs are very different from visitors and vacationers. They need a place to live for 4 months versus a week. The Affordable Homes Act has taken important steps towards acknowledging this issue through the creation of the Seasonal Communities designation and the Seasonal Communities Commission.
Workers who support seasonal economies