Mirurgia came to Nantucket for the first time ten years ago with her sister, and worked as a house cleaner in the summer.

“As soon as I set foot on Nantucket, I loved it,” Mirurgia said. “I wanted to stay forever. I love peace and tranquility, and the people were friendly. ”

After her first season, Mirurgia went back to the Dominican Republic and has returned to Nantucket every summer. She met her future husband Henderson in the Dominican, and they came back to the Island together. Henderson found employment as a carpenter, and Mirurgia worked as a gardener. Mirurgia had two children, who stayed in the Dominican Republic while Mirurgia and Henderson worked hard. They longed for the family to be together and wanted to move to Nantucket full time.

“We found a three bedroom on nantucket.net,” Henderson said. “It was expensive: $3,500 per month in the winter and $6,500 per month in the summer. We took it because we wanted to be together. ”

After living there for two years, the owner notified them that he was selling the house, and that they would have to move.

Finding suitable year-round housing proved impossible, so Henderson stayed on Nantucket while Mirurgia returned to the Dominican Republic to be with her children. Henderson lived with his boss, sleeping on a couch, while searching for housing for his family.

They found a small apartment, a room in a basement, for $2,500 per month.

“I felt we were living in a box,” Mirurgia said. “The space was about 200 square feet. A dividing wall separated the space where my husband and I slept, from where the children slept. ”

Some of Mirurgia’s friends suggested she apply for a rental at Housing Nantucket. Mirugia submitted her completed paperwork. She was told that the Ready-to-Rent list was long, and that vacancies were rare. But she remained hopeful.

Over the next two years, the family moved several times. In June 2019, without other options, they rented a 4-bedroom house for $6,000 per month. Mirurgia managed a gardening crew for a local landscaping company, and Henderson drove Uber when he was not working as a carpenter. They worked long hours and earned good money, but most of their salary went to paying rent. Mirurgia was pregnant with her third child and the stress in the family intensified. Mirurgia prayed for solutions.

“We followed Housing Nantucket on social media and discovered that there was a new opportunity,” said Henderson. “We saw the house being moved over-the-road, and during the construction process, we drove by all the time. We checked in frequently at the office to keep our paperwork updated. ”

“When Teodora (the office manager) told us that we were selected for Housing Nantucket’s new rental home, I cried,” Mirurgia said. “Since we were given this opportunity, our lives have changed a lot. We have privacy and stability. We can focus on other things, because we don’t have to worry about moving so often. Finally, we know peace.”

“We have a lot of friends who have good jobs here,” Henderson said. “They work all the time, but they can’t really make Nantucket home. Many families are separated because they cannot find a safe place to live. We thank all the people who made our happiness possible.”

The entire island community benefits from resources that support a diverse workforce, on which Nantucket’s economic vitality depends. Your generosity encourages Housing Nantucket’s efforts to create decent and affordable rental housing for people who already live and work on the island. We appreciate it so much!