‘THE BIG HAND-OFF’, BY SHANNON RICHARDS
The big hand-off - written by Shannon Richards, 5/1/2022
I was born on the last day of 1976. As part of Gen X, I was raised in the generation that transitioned from the Baby Boomers to the Millennials. In other words, I’m the squarely sandwiched “meat in the middle,” saddling the two big slices of humanity defining much of our world today.
My self-made professional life stems the span between art / design / craft / making / housing / creating / employing / building / buying / selling / assessing / estimating / leading / mentoring / and teaching. I know; it’s a lot to juggle. That’s why my most “pressing” thought surprises me.
I can’t tear myself away from this gigantic hand-off from the aging (and even dying) Baby Boomers to us Gen Xers, all the way down to our youngest friends - the Millennials.
There’s an increasing (if not daily) awareness that there are more of them than us. Pre-pandemic, I joked that it was time for my Baby Boomer colleagues to “take a knee,” and let the younger collective tackle more decision making. Well, it’s not funny anymore. It’s happening, but not the way we need it to.
My stepdad, Robin, once told me: “Shan, once you reach adulthood, you’re all pretty much in the same boat.” Raised on islands in Maine and Rhode Island, I pictured a small wooden boat with oars hanging out of the oarlocks and a bunch of different people across different ages sitting there in the rocking surf.
Other than the literal imagery, I didn’t know what he was talking about. I think it was referencing our middle-aged family friend dating a much younger woman. A digression for another time. Today, all these years later I get the concept, but I disagree. WE ARE NOT ALL IN THE SAME BOAT.
The aging Baby Boomer generation owns more housing than any previous generation. I recently read a shocking statistic that they own 60% of the single-family homes country wide, and on average, more than one home. They are living longer than any previous generation, own more homes than any previous generation of their age, and have most of the wealth, land, and housing wealth. They want single family homes to be the norm because they’re generally the most valuable in a community. They’re also the least affordable, least socially diverse, and the last place I’d personally want to live. Bring me a small diverse cluster of neighbors and the smell of the ocean, please. I’m lucky I bought a home in a densely packed neighborhood before it was safe or cool, and I’m grateful I did. If I sold now, I’d never be able to buy in my neighborhood.
Flash forward to today. Baby Boomers are realizing that their children can’t afford to live in their own hometowns. What should they do?
The call to action: Change your opinions about housing density, sell your second and third homes, and consolidate. Most importantly, look at the reality of our situation.
We have a critical housing shortage in Maine. We have an aging housing stock - the combination of deferred maintenance from the last 40 years of using housing like a credit card to balance unfettered spending and just plain old time. The results have caught up to us.
We’ve also got a knowledge gap. For years, we’ve been told to avoid the trades. Today, few of us know how to work with our hands. And, right now, some shameful condo associations won’t let you park your work truck if it’s lettered up from your business. Our beloved trades people and special makers are unfairly treated like second class. Unless – of course – you need something fixed.
While we need more talent to build homes, there’s a bigger issue at the front door. Even if we have all the boxes checked (the money to buy increasingly expensive materials and talented makers on deck), where can we build? We’ve got lots of jobs here in our lightly urban Maine communities, but we need space to create the future.
So, what’s the plan?
Things need to change, and they need to change now. Smash outdated opinions, create inclusivity, break the status quo, and pave the way for what comes next. It’s coming with or without your approval.