Sleeping Bear Gateways Council releases new survey on seasonal workforce housing needs
From staff reports
The Sleeping Bear Gateways Council, in collaboration with the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, has released a Leelanau and Benzie employer survey to identify the need for seasonal workforce housing.
[Please see our story from September 2019, Sleeping Bear Gateways Council aims to help National Lakeshore manage growing pains]
This survey is part of the Council’s mission to address the infrastructure gaps in gateway communities, or those within 60 miles of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. One of the unique challenges these communities face is the lack of regional housing options, especially during the summer and shoulder seasons. These are the prime growing and tourism seasons, leading businesses and agricultural operations to have a significant uptick in labor need. Without housing options, it is a struggle to attract the necessary labor to meet existing opportunities and fuel economic growth.
In order to develop solutions to address the seasonal housing gap, the Gateways Council needs to better understand employers’ existing needs.
“We’ve heard anecdotally that this is a huge problem for many businesses in Leelanau and Benzie Counties”, said Mike Rivard, Gateways Council President. “We need a more accurate sense of where, when, and how many workers need housing. We hope all Benzie and Leelanau businesses will take the survey.”
The survey can be found here and will be available until Sunday, May 17.
“In anticipation of continued rapid growth of residents and visitors to the Sleeping Bear Dunes area we seek to work with local communities, stakeholders, and the National Park Service in preserving the unique character and natural resources of the area for the benefit of its citizens, visitors, economy and environment,” reads the Gateways Council’s mission statement.
The Gateways Council will provide its final report and recommendations, to all survey participants, stakeholders, and the community at large, in early Fall 2020.
This story was sponsored by Munson Healthcare
