For Acadia employees, it's nearly impossible to find an affordable place to live near the park

MAINE PUBLIC • June 10, 2022

Acadia National Park typically hires around 150 seasonal workers, but this summer it has only 120, said park superintendent Kevin Schneider. The park can house about 70 seasonal workers each summer. The rest are on their own, and many end up declining a seasonal job offer because they can’t find a place to live, Schneider said. A lack of affordable housing has become a problem for the entire region, said David MacDonald, the former president of Friends of Acadia, a nonprofit whose mission it is to preserve, protect and promote the park. "The word ‘crisis’ is not putting it too strongly," he said.