James Harrington, 24, has lived in Little Compton his entire life. He would like to stay there.

Harrington, who joined the Little Compton Affordable Housing Trust last year, is among the youngest serving member of any town board in Little Compton and his family goes way back — he is the grandson of long-time town barber James Hayes, who worked out of the now-closed Little Compton Town Barber Shop for many years.

“I grew up in this great, great town,” he said. “It’s an old-school town.”

But he’s worried in recent years that its old-school charm has started to fade a bit. The streets he and his friends once roamed are now often vacant, with many homes now being used as short-term rentals. Over the years, he has had conversations with his friends about the housing dilemma and their worries about not being able to stay in town.

“You look around at some of these home values, and it's even hard to find a place to rent as a young person.”

He also has concerns about older residents on fixed incomes who in many cases can’t keep up with the cost of living, and it’s one of the reasons he decided to join the trust.

“I wanted to make an impact; I wanted to get involved,” he said. “I saw an opening on the Housing Trust and thought this is a perfect spot for a young person to speak on behalf of young people and hopefully bring together some change for the betterment of the community.”

Harrington, who was appointed by the town council and serves as the trust board treasurer, formerly served on an ad-hoc committee that aimed to solve problems affordability issues for the town’s younger residents. He said it can be intimidating to walk into meetings often filled with older residents who have decades of experience in the housing field. Still, he believes that it is a give-and-take situation, as they can teach him a lot more as he gives them the younger person’s perspective.

It is a busy time for the trust, which is starting an ambitious project to build four single-family affordable homes on Old Harbor Road, as well as another property located at 184 Colebrook Road, which Harrington looks forward to seeing come to fruition.

“Hopefully we can break ground soon and get families in there,” he said.

Harrington said he hopes that opportunities continue for the town’s younger residents, and hopes to keep up communication with older residents, farmers, and everyone who makes Little Compton home.

“I think it’s a great stage to get people from different age groups to voice their opinion,” he said.