Marita’s connection to Nantucket goes back to the 1970s, when her grandfather was the high school principal. Some of her mother’s family was raised here. In college, Marita worked as a hostess at Arno’s restaurant for her uncle, Robert Diamond. There, she met Jermaine, “the toast guy” who worked his way up to head chef and manager. What began as a summer fling developed into a long-distance relationship. Marita went back to school in Boston and returned to the island on weekends to be with Jermaine. Shortly after Marita graduated with her bachelor’s degree, she and Jermaine were married at the First Congregational Church on Center Street.

The newlyweds first lived together in Arno’s employee housing. Expecting their first child, they decided to find housing of their own. They leased a two bedroom cottage for $2,000/month, which was very high rent at the time. Expensive housing soon became an insurmountable issue as the couple planned their future. They wanted to buy something on Nantucket, but prices were out of reach. So they decided to move to Portland, Maine, and Marita got a job as a teacher.

After two years in Maine, Marita and Jermaine longed to be back on Nantucket. Marita was hired as a teaching assistant at the Nantucket Public Schools. The family first lived in Nantucket Education Trust (NET) housing on Cow Pond Lane, then moved to one of Housing Nantucket’s Affordable Rental Homes. Marita and Jermaine were committed to the island and started to pursue homeownership opportunities. They completed Housing Nantucket’s First Time Home Buyer class, then applied for the Sachem’s Path lottery and Habitat for Humanity’s homes. But after several years of trying, the family found themselves in the difficult place familiar to many dual-income island households: they earned too much to qualify for subsidized housing, but not enough to afford Nantucket’s expensive open market.

“We were in an impossible position,” said Marita. “We were working hard and succeeding within our professions. But with the high cost of living on the island, we couldn’t save the $70,000 needed to buy a $700,000 home. We exceeded income guidelines for 40B, but market rate was unfeasible.”

Ultimately, Marita and Jermaine were able to find a below-market rental cottage in a nice neighborhood. But after their third child was born, the family outgrew the cottage and needed to move. After searching for months, they found something suitable.

“If it wasn’t for the generosity of the year-round families who rented to us, we wouldn’t be here,” Marita said. “Our landlords could have rented seasonally, but they knew how difficult it is for working families to find decent housing. They chose to rent to people who contribute to this community, and we are so grateful.”

This past winter, Marita and Jermaine’s housing situation was placed in jeopardy yet again. Due to unforeseen circumstances, their landlord needed the housing back. Marita and Jermaine tried to find another rental, but their options appeared worse than ever.

“There was almost nothing,” said Marita. “We competed with 15 other families for a three-bedroom house at $4,000/month. The landlord wasn’t being greedy. That rent was simply the amount required to cover the mortgage. Our family needed a miracle.”

Then a friend tagged Marita in a Facebook posting regarding an advertisement for the sale of a Covenant Home. Covenant Homes are created when a property owner with more than one residential dwelling on a parcel is able to sell one of those dwellings at a permanently affordable price, when under normal zoning means, the lot could not be subdivided. The sale and resale of the Covenant Home is subject to a price cap. Marita and Jermaine pursued the opportunity, and qualified as purchasers with Housing Nantucket. This past June, Marita and Jermaine closed on their very own Covenant Home.

“We had a lot of misconceptions about the Covenant Program, but we are so glad we looked into it,” said Marita. “We didn’t realize we could leave the house to our kids, or rent rooms if we needed to. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund granted us closing cost assistance. The generosity of this community amazes us.”

“To those who are still struggling, think about your networks,” said Marita. “Talk to everyone about the Covenant Program. You never know who might want to subdivide their land. In this market, it’s easy to get hopeless. But when you do your due diligence and ask the right questions, there are creative options out there.”

Housing Nantucket’s Covenant Program keeps Nantucket’s workforce on-island. Help us create more opportunities for people like Marita and Jermaine, the lifeblood of this community.