Habitat Set To Build Brewster Homes

BREWSTER – Sarah Goyette laughed on Monday afternoon when asked how it felt on a scale from one to a jillion when she learned about her selection as the buyer of a two-bedroom Habitat for Humanity Cape Cod home in Brewster.

 “I would have to say a jillion,” she said. “This is my first opportunity to own a house on Cape Cod. It would never have happened without Habitat.”

Goyette, a certified nursing aide who has worked for 13 years at Cape Cod Hospital, and her son Asher, 14, have been living in a Barnstable Village studio apartment for the past eight years. She is buying a two-bedroom, one-bath ranch with Habitat’s help.

Goyette was speaking in the Brewster Baptist Church’s Fellowship Hall just before a handful of Habitat Cape Cod officials talked to a packed room at a community meeting. They introduced the buyers for two homes Habitat is building, one of them the Goyettes’, over the next year in Brewster, both on the new Mackie Road near Nickerson State Park, just off Route 6A.

Sarah and Asher Goyette and the couple buying the other home, who did not want to be identified, spoke to the crowd, thanking Habitat and its staff and volunteers who have been working with them throughout the process, including as ground has been broken. 

All four will be required to help out on the worksite — 250 hours per family. Sarah Goyette will dive into construction. Because of his age, Asher Goyette will be limited to work such as registering volunteers in the morning and bringing snacks; he and his mother said he can also earn credit towards hours for good grades.

When it was Asher’s turn to speak, he said with a home on the horizon he was happy to help.

 “It means a lot,” he said. “Thanks to Habitat for Humanity and thanks to my mom, I can finally have a house with my own room.”

The Brewster homes will be built at 25 and 29 Mackie Dr., just off Route 6A near the intersection with Swamp Road. The Goyettes’ is a 972-square-foot ranch with two bedrooms and one bathroom with a 120-square-foot porch. The other is a 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom, 1.5-bath ranch with a 108-square foot porch.

Prices were not disclosed for the Brewster homes, but Habitat Cape Cod properties typically range from $233,400 to $320,250, per the organization’s website. With volunteer labor and donations, buyers can afford bank loans.

Habitat for Humanity Cape Cod officials on Monday spoke about their process, thanked people and businesses in Brewster who had already and volunteered and donated, and sought more to join the cause. 

Wendy Cullinan, Habitat Cape Cod president and CEO, said townspeople essentially become another partner. “We involve people from the community every step of the way,” she said. She thanked Brewster for embracing the joint efforts of the new homebuyers and Habitat, pointing out work buyers must do to make their dream of home ownership a reality. 

 “This is not a handout,” Cullinan said. “This is a handoff.”

Habitat Volunteer and Community Relations Manager Sandra Harrison said that up to 200 community members could play volunteer roles in building the homes, which will add to the inventory of at least one Habitat home in each Cape town. At least some heard the pitch: Harrison was handing out volunteer paperwork after the meeting.

No experience is necessary to volunteer, per Habitat’s website — training will be provided. Volunteers are expected to sign up for specific time slots; Wednesday and Thursday are scheduled in Brewster.

Director of Resource Development Tara Cronin — who Cullinan announced at the meeting will soon take over as Habitat Cape Cod president and CEO — thanked the faith community and other donors who made contributions of more than $50,000. 

She and Director of Construction Daniel Allen both cited the homes’ energy efficiency.

 “Most [homes] produce more electricity than they use,” Cronin said. Habitat Cape Cod homes do not use fossil fuels; they feature heat pumps as well as solar panels.

All Habitat Cape Cod homes are sold to Cape residents who earn between 60 and 80 percent of Barnstable County’s area median income. 

There is a sliding scale based on the collective income of the buyers. Currently, those numbers range from $56,100 at 60 percent of the area median income for a single buyer to $132,450 for 80 percent of the area median income for a family of seven.

For those interested in pursuing a Habitat home, applications are at habitatcapecod.org/to-apply-for-a-home. Paper applications are available by calling 508-362-3559. 

Of the almost 200 homes Habitat has built, about half have been in the past decade. This building output came, Harrison said, despite the headwinds caused by COVID-19 and the marked increase in the cost of Cape Cod real estate. 

Harrison was asked how Habitat has managed to do so despite the challenges. She cited the strong support of donors and volunteers.

 “Habitat Cape Cod relies on the generosity of our community to build affordable homes with local families,” she said.

A Brewster resident named Kayon who bought a Habitat home a decade ago also spoke. She cited divine intervention as a reason for Habitat’s success, praising Habitat staff for being helpful with all aspects of the process, as well the whole Habitat concept.

 “I tell people I’m not lucky, I’m blessed,” Kayon said. “God is doing a wonderful thing through Habitat for Humanity.”

Allen said things just have a way of working out. 

 “We never know where the next contribution comes from,” said the construction manager, “but the community always steps up.”

However it happens, the effect of Habitat’s efforts on people’s lives is clear. Sarah Goyette related how she felt when she found out she had won a drawing for a home. Habitat asks chosen buyers to visit the office to deal with paperwork, and then springs the news on them. 

 “I was in shock. I still am really. I came in right before my shift at Cape Cod Hospital and they said, ‘You got the house.’” Goyette said. “I walked into the office with flowers and pictures, and everybody was clapping. And I couldn’t believe it. I was crying, I was so happy.”