OCEAN PINES – As the seasonal housing shortage continues, a local restaurant management company is asking Ocean Pines homeowners to consider hosting J-1 students this summer.
Matt Ortt Companies – Ocean Pines Association’s food and beverage operator – began this week seeking local host families for this year’s J-1 student workers.
The company is expected to have between 80 and 100 students assigned to its six restaurants this summer, according to co-founder Ralph DeAngelus. A seasonal housing shortage, however, has Matt Ortt’s team calling on community members for assistance.
“Any time we’ve had societal issues, like COVID for example, Ocean Pines residents have stepped up,” DeAngelus said. “They are a super generous community … and it just popped in my head that they might be interested.”
Each summer, roughly 4,000 international students on J-1 work and travel visas arrive in Ocean City and surrounding areas to fill some of the resort’s 12,000 seasonal jobs. In 2020, however, the program was essentially shut down because of travel restrictions and federal directives related to the pandemic, resulting in a labor shortage that had businesses scaling back operations. More international students were in Ocean City last summer, but far less than typical.
Exacerbating the seasonal workforce problem, officials say, are the seasonal housing shortages.
“Because of the housing shortage for college students and J-1 students in the summertime, mainly in Ocean City, J-1 programs are being drastically slashed,” DeAngelus said in a news release. “Many of the houses that in the past were used for students have all since been remodeled and are going out to Airbnb, because people can make more money that way.”
In exchange for serving as a host, J-1 students are prepared to pay a reasonable rent based on the season and depending on the quality of the house and distance to work. The average going rate is $2,200 to $2,500.
DeAngelus said students that stay in Ocean Pines will be assigned to work at a Matt Ortt Companies-controlled facility.
“They could work at the Yacht Club or the Beach Club, or the Clubhouse Grille,” he said. “So, by taking in a student, you’re helping Ocean Pines operations.”
Officials say landlords must provide a private bedroom for one or two J-1 students, along with a shared bathroom.
“The J-1 students will be between the ages of 18-28 years of age from many countries around the world, …,” DeAngelus said. “Landlords can’t specify which country they want to take in a student from, but they can specify whether they want to host a male or a female.”
DeAngelus added landlords can choose to house a J-1 student for free if they wish. However, he added, “these students are prepared to pay a fair rental fee”.
“There is an income potential for empty nesters and families wishing to supply their children a great cultural experience, not to mention you will be helping your community and making a dream come true for a young foreign person,” he said.
The deadline to inquire is Jan. 15. DeAngelus said all applicants must go through a screening process, and host applicants are required to submit to a walkthrough. J-1 students will arrive fully vaccinated and be COVID tested before and after flights.
For more information, contact DeAngelus at 410-726-4747 or Ocean City’s J-1 Program Director Anne Marie Conestabile at 443-664-6519 ext. 1039.
“The J-1s have it harder than most American college students because chances are they have a grandparent, an uncle or a cousin who has a condo here. A college student from Poland certainly doesn’t,” DeAngelus said. “The housing shortage affected them badly … It’s a major disadvantage for them.”
