Tansheka came here to work for Nantucket Island Resorts (NIR) in 1999 as a front desk agent. She met Anthony, who was NIR’s Restaurant Supervisor, and after dating for several years, they were married.

Tansheka and Anthony relied on their employer for housing. They lived separately in the staff dorms where each of them shared a room with up to three co-workers. They ate their meals in the cafeteria because kitchen facilities were unavailable. But although the situation was not ideal, the couple was grateful for the stability.

When the young couple learned they were expecting a child, they were forced to make some tough choices. They couldn’t afford for one of them not to work, and they wanted to stay on Nantucket. So, sadly, they decided to raise their child in two separate residences.

“We juggled our child during the summer months,” said Anthony. “Since both of us lived at different staff housing, we had to move our son back and forth between the two. Our family was split up, but there was nothing else we could do.”

Once the season ended, Anthony and their son moved off-island. Tansheka remained on-island to work. She scoured the newspapers and used her networks to try to find suitable, price-appropriate housing for her family.

“We looked in the open market, but it was so hard to find an affordable rental,” said Tansheka. “Even though we each had two jobs, if we left staff housing, we would be living hand to mouth. I thought no, we are not going to survive like this.”

Around that time, Tansheka started volunteering at the Cottage Hospital doing service at the out-patient registration. She hoped a position would became available, and when it did, she was hired. That was two years ago, and Tansheka has been an employee ever since.

While Tansheka was achieving her career goals, her family continued to struggle to find stable housing. Anthony moved back to the island with their son, and they were happy to be reunited. But the only housing available for them was a small studio apartment. A friend suggested they look to Housing Nantucket for options. They did, and learned they were eligible for Housing Nantucket’s Affordable Rental Program.

“We heard good things about Housing Nantucket, so we filled out an application,” said Tansheka. “At that time we all lived together in a little studio flat. Our friend told us to be persistent, and keep checking in with the staff to make sure our paperwork was in order. Meanwhile, our child was getting older making it increasingly difficult to share space. We prayed about it. We kept coming by Housing Nantucket’s offices and verifying our placement on the list. We understood openings were infrequent, and we had almost given up hope.”

Then, their prayer was answered.

“When Housing Nantucket finally called to tell us there was a vacancy and asked if we were still interested, we couldn’t believe this was really happening,” said Anthony. “We wasted no time. We did a drive-by. The house was being renovated, and we weren’t so sure it would come together, but it did. Tansheka loves to decorate, and it’s home now…cozy and warm. We have a yard, a little garden, a deck, and a hammock. Every now and then we see a deer. It’s beautiful.”

“Nantucket is such a safe place to raise a child, but we didn’t want to keep moving around,” said Tansheka. “With stable housing, our son is much more comfortable and relaxed. He’s a teenager now, and it’s so important for him to have his own space. He’s on top of everything- including math! Everything happens in its own time. We want to say thank you to all who have made this opportunity possible for our family.”

Housing Nantucket’s programs help hard-working residents like Tansheka and Anthony raise children in a healthy environment. Your donations enable us to expand our reach. Click here to find out how you can help.