Between Paychecks and Rent: Valley Stream Residents Struggle to Keep Up

Written by Lada King 

In Central Valley Stream, New York, families are working multiple jobs, attending school, and doing everything “right,” but still struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living. For many, especially younger adults and new homeowners, the dream of financial security is becoming increasingly difficult to attain.

Interview Questions:

1. How has the rise in rent and living expenses affected your ability to afford housing in our community?

2. What challenges do you face when trying to balance work, school, and saving enough to move out or maintain your home?

I selected these questions because they directly address the financial struggles many people in my community face due to rising rent and living costs. The first question helps show how housing affordability is impacting different residents from longtime homeowners to young adults trying to move out. The second question explores the everyday challenges people experience balancing jobs, education, and saving money, which are all part of trying to build a stable future. Together, these questions give a clear picture of the issue’s real impact on people’s lives.

Responses to Interview Questions

1. How has the rise in rent and living expenses affected your ability to afford housing in our community?

• Carol (Neighbor): “Since we bought our house five years ago, property taxes and other expenses have gone up a lot. It feels like every year there’s a new bill or cost, and it’s getting harder to keep up, especially with two kids to take care of.”

• Alexis (Coworker): “Rent where I live in Queens Village is high, and it keeps going up. Even though I’m working and finishing nursing school, it’s tough to save enough to move out and start my place with my boyfriend.”

• My Parents: “We rented for years, but rent was almost as much as a mortgage, so we decided to buy a house. Even with that, the rising taxes and bills still make it a struggle to keep up, despite having steady jobs.”

2. What challenges do you face when trying to balance work, school, and saving enough to move out or maintain your home?

• Carol (Neighbor): “With two kids and bills, it’s a constant balancing act. We both work, but sometimes it feels like no matter how hard we try, there’s never enough left to save for emergencies.”

• Alexis (Coworker): “Working nights at Applebee’s and going to nursing school during the day is exhausting. We try to save, but with rent, student loans, and other expenses, it’s hard to put much aside.”

• My Parents: “Managing jobs and bills while raising a family is tough. Even though we have a house now, the costs keep rising, so saving for the future feels challenging.”

Carol, a neighbor who bought her home just five years ago with her husband, is raising two children and facing increasing pressure to make ends meet. “We bought our home five years ago thinking it would be a long-term place to raise our kids,” she said. “But now, with taxes and everything else going up, it feels like we’re always one emergency away from struggling.”

Carol lives in Central Valley Stream, a neighborhood traditionally seen as a stable and family-friendly part of Long Island. But she’s not alone in feeling the financial pressure. Across the community, rent, utilities, groceries, and property taxes continue to climb, while paychecks haven’t kept pace. The result: even stable, employed families are falling behind.

A Family Doing Everything Right  Still Concerned

My family has lived in Valley Stream for 19 years. At first, we rented a home, but the rent was almost as much as a mortgage payment. Because of that, we decided to buy our own house in Central Valley Stream about nine years ago. We are a family of four with a dog, and everyone works hard to contribute financially. Still, despite all our efforts, the rising costs of living continue to create financial challenges.

“We all have jobs, and we’ve lived here for almost two decades,” I said. “But sometimes it feels like no matter how much we work, the bills just keep rising.”

It's a reality that’s hard to ignore: housing, once considered a stable investment or first step toward independence, is now a source of stress for both older homeowners and young adults trying to get started.

A New Generation Trying to Move Out  But Can’t

Alexis, 24, is finishing nursing school while working as a bartender at Applebee’s in Queens Village, New York. She and her boyfriend, who is also a nursing student, hope to move out and start their household after graduation. But with rent rising and their wages staying mostly the same, that dream feels farther away every day.

“We’re doing everything right, school, jobs, saving,” Alexis said. “But with rent this high and our pay staying the same, it’s hard to imagine ever affording a place of our own.”

For young adults like Alexis, the issue isn’t a lack of ambition or hard work. It's math. A one-bedroom apartment in Valley Stream can easily cost upwards of $1,800 to $2,300 a month, a number that doesn’t include utilities, groceries, gas, or student loan payments. Even with degrees on the way and jobs in healthcare, a high-demand field Alexis and her boyfriend don’t feel confident that they can afford to move out any time soon.

Who’s Affected?

The impact of rising costs isn’t limited to one group, it's everyone.

• Long-time residents are worried about keeping their homes because property taxes and maintenance expenses are rising.

• Young adults feel stuck at home because moving out isn’t financially possible.

• New homeowners who bought during the last five years are discovering that stability is more expensive than they expected.

• Working families like mine are finding that even multiple jobs aren't enough to keep up with rising prices.

Valley Stream is a diverse, hardworking community. It’s made up of people trying to do the right thing: buy homes, raise children, go to school, and support themselves. But the gap between income and cost of living keeps getting wider and it’s affecting the health and future of the whole community.

Why It Matters

When families can't afford to stay in the communities they helped build, neighborhoods change. Young people leave. Businesses struggle. Schools lose students. What was once a place of growth becomes a place of survival.

The stress of financial instability also has emotional consequences.

“It’s hard to enjoy the little things when you’re constantly worried about money,” Alexis said. “Even things like going out for dinner or saving for a vacation feel impossible.”

• Rising living costs affect more than wallets; they affect mental health, relationships, and people’s ability to feel safe and secure. That’s why this issue can’t be ignored.

• What Needs to Change?

Most people interviewed agreed that change starts with better wages and more affordable housing. Rent control, financial education, and policies that support first-time homebuyers or young renters could help ease the pressure. But real change requires awareness and action.

It’s easy to assume that people struggling with rent are unemployed or irresponsible. But in Valley Stream, many of those affected are hardworking families, students, and professionals who just want a fair shot at living comfortably in the place they call home.

Moving Forward Together

The rising cost of living in Valley Stream is a challenge that affects everyone from longtime homeowners to young adults just starting. It’s clear that despite hard work and determination, many families are struggling to keep up. Addressing this issue will require the efforts of community leaders, policymakers, and residents working together to create solutions that make housing affordable and wages fair. Only then can Valley Stream remain a place where families can thrive, dreams can become reality, and the community continues to grow stronger.