The state’s top housing official is headed to the Vineyard next month as part of a statewide community tour to gather ideas on how to battle the state’s housing crisis. 

Housing secretary Ed Augustus will be on-Island on June 4, the last stop of his 12-municipality tour around Massachusetts as the state plans to create a five-year housing plan. During his trip, he plans to meet with Island housing advocates and take a tour of the existing affordable housing on the Vineyard. 

The visit will culminate in an event at the Performing Arts Center in Oak Bluffs, where Islanders can provide feedback on the critical housing needs facing the Vineyard, which has some of the highest housing prices in the state. 

The Martha’s Vineyard Commission is helping to coordinate the event, and commission housing planner Laura Silber said it is essential for residents of all ages and backgrounds to come out and talk to the state about the issues the Vineyard is facing. 

“This is our chance to communicate to the administration of the state of Massachusetts what is happening on Martha’s Vineyard with our housing and what we need,” she said. “We really need the entire community to turn out.” 

The Vineyard’s median home price in 2022 was $1.48 million, and only about 38 per cent of the Island’s housing stock is used as year-round housing. Housing advocates have worried that the pace of homes converting into short-term vacation rentals can’t keep up with housing production, leading to a hollowing out of the community. 

Ms. Silber hoped residents would take this chance to relay their experiences to the state, as well as emphasize how the Vineyard has different needs than other parts of the state. 

“If there is one meeting you attend this spring, I ask that it’s this meeting,” Ms. Silber said. 

Gov. Maura Healey’s administration is undertaking the state’s first statewide housing plan, established through a series of executive orders filed in conjunction with the Affordable Homes Act last year. 

The event on the Vineyard was originally planned to be held at the Oak Bluffs library, but early registrations already surpassed the library’s capacity, prompting the state to move the listening session to the Performing Arts Center. 

Ms. Silber encouraged people to pre-register on the state’s website, but said it was not a prerequisite for attendance. The event starts at 3 p.m.

A Portuguese translation service will be available thanks to the Community Ambassador Program, she said. 

A delegation from Nantucket will also be attending the meeting and the two islands have been working together to petition the statehouse for more tools to help ease the housing crunch.