Cape Cod Has A Housing Crisis, County Officials Say

CAPE COD, MA — Housing has been an issue on Cape Cod well before 2025, but the market has hit a boiling point for local officials.

Recently, the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates declared a housing crisis, voting to advance a resolution that calls on Cape Cod’s government to take a leadership role in developing regional solutions.

The measure supports Administrator Michael Dutton’s efforts to continue a shared regional housing office providing services to towns, and calls on him to create a working group of housing, environmental and municipal leaders to recommend more actions the County can take.

“This place we call home — the one so many of us were lucky to be born into, or found and fell in love with — is slipping through our fingers,” said Deputy Speaker Dan Gessen of Falmouth, who introduced the resolution. “A family today must earn more than double the average income just to afford the price of an average home. That’s not just unsustainable. That is a crisis.”

Harwich Delegate Elizabeth Harder, a co-sponsor of the resolution, emphasized the importance of supporting local towns, saying that the resolution is about “helping towns where they find a lack.”

Delegates voiced widespread support for the measure, which passed by a vote of 14 - 1, representing a vote of 79 percent to 21 percent in an Assembly where delegates' votes are weighted by their town's population.

Barnstable Delegate Frank Fredrickson was the lone opposing vote, stating that the resolution needed more work. He did, however, support the idea of advancing the shared housing office initiative.

“There's a shortage of housing and the County needs to assist our communities without being too bureaucratic,” said Frederickson.

The Assembly will now present the resolution to the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners for their consideration.