Hashing out housing

acres on Van Sicklen Road from Jessica Pinnell for $338,353.

• Joerg Bernhard bought a condominium on Stillwater Lane from Rae Bunce for $420,000.

• Richard Farnham bought a condominium on Whitewater Circle from Charles Lord for $595,000.

• Joseph Yandow bought a mobile home on Middlewood Road from the Williston Woods Homeowners Association for $10,000.

• Benjamin Chater bought a condominium on Bittersweet Circle from Scott Benoit for $475,000.

• The Jeffrey Martin Trust bought a third of an acre of open land on Caroline Court from Adams Real Properties LLC for $179,000.

Transfers sponsored by

BY TAYLOR ANTONIOLI Special to the Observer

Affordable housing means just that, housing that almost anyone can afford. And yet, despite a growing community, Williston is failing to provide for some of its residents.

On Wednesday, May 24, the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library held a timely event to discuss affordable housing in Williston. The event was led by Cristalee McSweeney, the executive director of the Williston Community Justice Center. The discussion was based around the New York Times best selling book “Evicted” by Matthew Desmond.

While not required for the discussion itself, it was suggested reading and is currently available at the library.

To start the event, McSweeney read a letter she had received from a Williston community member. The woman who wrote it asked to remain anonymous, citing fear of the stigma surrounding homelessness.

She shared that she is a full-time nurse at the age of 52, making over $70,000 a year, and she has been homeless for the last seven and a half months. She was forced to leave the rental she had lived in for years because her landlord decided to capitalize on the market and sell. She was given 60 days to vacate, and she has yet to find a new apartment, despite numerous applications.

She has been forced to couch surf, sleep in her car and shower at a gym.

Most landlords in the area require at least a 720 credit score or proof that applicants make at least three times the renting price in their monthly income.

Vladi Moore, another panel speaker, shared his own experience with trying to find housing in Williston in the past few years. Despite hoping to buy a house in the area for him and his family, he was forced to start renting due to high asking prices. He then had to to find new hous -