Lauren, her husband Miguelo, and their two children moved to Nantucket in early 2019. They were fortunate enough to have secured housing through her husband’s employer. Shortly after their arrival, the family moved into the basement of the employer’s new house.  The old house on the property needed to be torn down. The basement apartment was brand new, but damp. The windows looked out into a cement stairwell, and they had to crane their necks to see the sky. Needless to say, there weren’t any other housing options available, so they stayed.  

Miguelo fell in love with Nantucket right away, living in the same community as his brother, cousins, and childhood friends. He had a stable job, while Lauren’s dream was to be an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. After settling in, she passed her Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure and applied for an ESL position at Nantucket Intermediate School. She cried happy tears when offered the job. Everything was falling into place; but they still dreamed of finding a home to call their own. 

Later that year, their friend and current Housing Nantucket tenant recommended that they apply for an affordable rental with Housing Nantucket. Vanessa had secured her own housing through Housing Nantucket a few years ago and told them not to be discouraged by the lengthy waiting list. While waiting, they continued to search online and followed every housing lead they came across, but nothing ever panned out.