Wall Raising Makes Future Habitat Homes ‘Real’

BREWSTER – Future Habitat for Humanity Cape Cod homeowner Sarah Goyette said on Aug. 18 that she is inspired by every visit to her Brewster homesite.

But what happened that hug-filled Tuesday morning on a double lot surrounded by towering trees just off Route 6A near Nickerson State Park meant a little extra.

Goyette, her 14-year-old son Asher, and the family that will occupy the second home being built on the site were joined by dozens of Habitat volunteers, donors and officials, and a Brewster official, all of whom have played or will play key roles in making the homes there a reality.

The occasion was a wall-raising ceremony for each home, followed by blessings for the future of the homes and families.

The centerpieces of the morning came when up to 30 people, including the future homeowners, collectively lifted sidewalls into place for the professional builders onsite to permanently secure onto already installed foundations and decking. Those acts symbolized the beginning of the volunteer participation in the home building, including that of the homeowners.

Goyette, a certified nurse’s aide wearing new Timberland work boots to carry her through the many hours she will work on her home, said each of her visits to the site makes the dream of homeownership feel more real, especially the wall raising. 

“Every time I come here it’s more and more done, and it’s unbelievable,” Goyette said before helping with the lift. “It’s like Sherwood Forest, all surrounded by trees.”

The Goyettes and the other family, who prefer not to be identified, successfully applied to Habitat for Humanity Cape Cod to be eligible for home financing, and then had their names chosen randomly from other qualified applicants. 

For the wall-raising event, the adult lottery winners wore T-shirts that read “Future homeowner” on the front and “Thank you for helping me build my home” on the back.

“Together, all of you are part of making memories for these two lovely families,” said Habitat Cape Cod CEO and president Wendy Cullinan. “Many of you will continue on over the next eight, 10, 12 months to show what can happen when community comes together.”

The Brewster homes’ addresses will be 25 and 29 Mackie Dr. Sarah Goyette’s will be a 972-square-foot ranch with two bedrooms and one bathroom with a 120-square-foot porch on about 0.28 acre. The other family’s will be a 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom, 1.5-bath ranch with a 108-square foot porch on about 0.37 acre. Both will come with energy-efficiency features that Habitat officials say could mean the homes will return power to the grid rather than generate bills for the homeowners.

Prices were not disclosed for the Brewster homes, but Habitat Cape Cod properties typically range from $233,400 to $320,250, according to the organization’s website. With volunteer labor and donations, buyers can afford bank loans. The deeds will include provisions that will keep the properties perpetually affordable. Habitat Cape Cod homes are sold to Cape residents who earn between 60 and 80 percent of Barnstable County’s median income. 

Habitat volunteer and community relations manager Sandra Harrison said up to 200 community members could play volunteer roles in building the Brewster homes. The two houses will add to the inventory of at least one Habitat home in each Cape town, the 22nd and 23rd hosted by Brewster, and the 187th and 188th across the peninsula.

“The town of Brewster has been a great friend to Habitat Cape Cod,” Cullinan said, thanking a half-dozen Brewster boards, individual officials and committees for their help. 

“This is the perfect example of preserving what is so important here on Cape Cod,” she said. “It’s the conservation of land and home ownership, so it’s a wonderful partnership.”

Brewster Housing Coordinator and former Habitat Cape Cod board member Jill Scalise described the work Brewster did to make the homes a reality, starting by outlining the problem — she said every week people come into town hall seeking help in finding housing. 

“They’re not even considering the possibility of buying a home,” Scalise said. “Last year the median price of a single-family home in Brewster was over $800,000. But despite these difficulties, we are dedicated to creating and preserving housing opportunities in Brewster. And here we are encouraged. We have a great reason to celebrate.”

Scalise noted that the Brewster Conservation Trust (BCT) bought the land on which the homes are being built, while Brewster residents supported a conservation designation on the larger 12-acre parcel from which the lots were carved out. And the town’s affordable housing trust granted Habitat $100,000 to buy the lots for the two homes from the BCT. 

“This is the very first award that the affordable housing trust made from their funds to preserve and create housing here in Brewster,” Scalise said. “Then the Brewster residents supported additional Community Preservation Act funds to actually construct the homes here. And so here we look at all of us working together. And local organizations, businesses, the faith community and neighbors also provided donations and will help with the construction of the homes. And of course the families will put in their sweat equity and purchase the homes. What a great collaboration.”

Habitat Cape Cod Director of Resource Development Tara Cronin thanked businesses, foundations, the region’s faith community and individual donors as well as the town. She also sought more help to bridge a $25,000 funding gap remaining for a collective faith community effort. 

“Your support helps keep your neighbors on the Cape by making affordable housing possible,” Cronin said. “Your response has been incredible. Thank you. I’d like to take a moment to thank our donors and share what we still need…you can join in the faith build as an individual or as a house of worship. Just come talk to me.”

Director of Construction Dan Allen thanked all the “core volunteers” who helped prepare the homes for the wall-raising ceremony and wished the new Habitat families “the very best with their journeys with Habitat.” 

He talked about how close homeowners and volunteers grew while working with each other recently at Dennis and Wellfleet sites. 

“My favorite part of the process was watching the families bond over the course of the builds, not just with each other, but the volunteers as well,” Allen said. “To see the camaraderie built as you’re literally working together to build your future homes is a true blessing to be part of. I hope you enjoy every step of the journey and all that comes with becoming part of the Habitat family, and wishing you all the best in your new homes and this exciting next chapter in your lives.”

For those interested in pursuing a Habitat home, applications are at habitatcapecod.org/to-apply-for-a-home. For those interested in volunteering or donating, information is available at habitatcapecod.org’s home page. No experience is necessary to volunteer, per Habitat’s website — training will be provided. Families are expected to contribute 250 hours to home building. Volunteers are expected to sign up for specific time slots; Wednesdays and Thursdays are scheduled in Brewster.