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Two Happy Families
Two happy families have moved into Habitat for Humanity houses on Nantucket.
At the beginning of February, Meredith Martin and her son, and Berta Scott and Bill Mogensen and their children, all moved into the island's second Habitat for Humanity house - a duplex. This allowed two families to become homeowners.
"The families are excited to be in and we're very happy to have them there," said Habitat Nantucket's board president Jessie Glidden. "It's a very long process. Essentially, we can only work on Saturdays [because most of the construction crew are volunteers], so it was two and a-half years of Saturdays."
The duplex, designed by Mickey Rowland, is on a quiet street between Vestal and Milk streets on land leased from the Nantucket Housing Authority for 99 years with a 50-year renewal option. This is the same situation as with Habitat's first home on Norquarta Drive completed in 2004. The nonprofit, international organization helped the tenants obtain their mortgages covering purchase prices kept at just the cost of cash outlays for materials and labor. Qualified applicants are required to put in 350 hours of "sweat equity" as their down payment.
Says Meredith Martin, "Being here for all these years and seeing people leave - now this is my house. We've lived in cramped quarters for so long. It's a great feeling and Habitat is a really great thing. I feel very fortunate and I'm very grateful."
This habitat house on Saratoga Lane on Nantucket is a duplex, allowing two families to own their own homes.
"We've moved around a number of times," said Mogensen, whose children are now five and two years old. The couple was on the verge of leaving Nantucket when they found out that they qualified for a Habitat home.
"The residence we had before this was a tiny, two bedroom garage apartment. This is certainly perfect in size. The upstairs lends itself so that each of the kids can have a bedroom. We're going to fix up the basement with a ping pong table for the kids. The location is wonderful. It's a four minute bike ride to town."
The house was dedicated to the memory of Clay Evans. Clay was one of the founding members of Habitat for Humanity of Nantucket. He passed away unexpectedly in October 2004.
A small group of volunteers travelled to Martha's Vineyard to help in the construction of a Habitat House. On the trip back, the volunteers' conversation turned to Nantucket. With the simple question, 'Wouldn't it be great if we could have Habitat for Humanity on Nantucket?' Clay and his companions began to dream.
It took a lot of hard work to get the first Habitat for Humanity house on Nantucket off the ground. Although he did not own his own home on Nantucket, Clay worked as a carpenter and builder here. He loved Nantucket and put much thought and care into helping preserve the beauty in other people's homes. He believed he 'owned' a small piece of this special island by helping build homes for others.
Another founding member of Habitat for Humanity of Nantucket is Ken Giles. Standing on what's now just a patch of scrubby grass, he laments the lack of housing on Nantucket.
Giles: "People are leaving. They stay for a year or two, then say, I can't get enough money to do that. Teachers, even doctors here, young doctors who come and are just starting out, their incomes aren't high, but they're certainly not what you'd consider low in other areas. Rentals on Nantucket are ridiculous. The average rental starts at $1600 a month, and that's tough."
Land isn't easy to come by on Nantucket. In fact, the land is often more expensive than the houses. As Ken Giles drives around the island, past houses with names pegged on their fronts like "The Struggle" and "Think Twice," he points out the changes.
Giles: "In my life," he says, "I've seen places that were pine forests that are now houses. Driving out to the airport, dirt roads going down to cul de sacs, put expensive homes down there. Any place that sees water is probably a million an acre just for the land."
Excerpt Above From The Cape and Islands NPR Stations
We build our homes with volunteer labor and donations of material, supplies, land and services. Habitat sells each home to a family who becomes an active Habitat partner ... contributing 300 hours of work on their home and with Habitat for Humanity during the construction of their home.
"In many people's minds the idea that there's a need for Habitat for Humanity on Nantucket just doesn't compute. Why would anyone build simple Habitat houses on an island that's known for its trophy mansions, yachts, and elegant restaurants?
The answer is simple: because in this "vacation paradise" real estate prices have gone through the ceiling, and working families can no longer afford to buy even modest homes. Teachers, policemen, office workers, and trades people often come to Nantucket attracted by above-average salaries and wages, only to leave the island a year or two later because they can't find even simple housing within their financial reach. Even native islanders face that dilemma if they're not lucky enough to inherit real estate from family."
~ Excerpt Above From Nantucket Island Living ~ Written by Christoph Lohmann and Jessie Glidden
Since its modest beginnings as a recognized affiliate in 2001, Habitat for Humanity of Nantucket has grown to include a 21 member board of directors, plus nearly 200 business and individual volunteers, as well as countless supporters.
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If you would like to be a part of the amazing group of people who make Habitat for Humanity of Nantucket a reality, call our office at 508-325-8912, or send an email by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.
