When Teddy* discovered his stove was broken in early November, he and his wife didn’t in the moment worry too much about it. Teddy worked long hours as a laborer for the Town of Nantucket, and his wife kept busy running after their toddler. The young family was settling into the affordable apartment they had recently rented from Housing Nantucket, still amazed that they were selected for the opportunity. But with only a week to go before Thanksgiving and still no stove, they began to wonder whether they had made the right decision. Would their below-market rent mean they would have to make do without an oven?

Like many other year-round workers whose jobs support island infrastructure, the couple was familiar with housing insecurity. Just a few months before renting from Housing Nantucket, their temporary living situation had come to an end. Now with a new baby, and they needed a bigger space. They scoured the classifieds and tried to find something through word of mouth, but no leads emerged. If they hadn’t find something soon, the family would have needed to leave.

“I felt like we had one foot on the island and one foot off the island,” said Teddy. “I had a good job and wanted to stay, but we had nowhere to live.”

Several years earlier, Teddy had submitted an application for one of Housing Nantucket’s thirty-eight affordable rental units. There were already hundreds of eligible households waiting for a vacancy, and turnovers didn’t happen often. But Teddy regularly stopped by the office to check-in with staff. When a two-bedroom opened up for his income bracket, he was ready.

“We are so grateful to Housing Nantucket,” said Teddy. “We appreciate having a space of our own, and the neighborhood is quiet. I enjoy fixing up the yard, and I planted some bushes I saved from a landscaper who was composting them. We just got a grill at a yard sale, and I can’t wait to use it.”

Teddy’s eagerness to fire up the grill stopped short of cooking an entire Thanksgiving dinner. Housing Nantucket had ordered a new stove weeks ago, but supply chain disruptions had caused an unavoidable delay. So when Marine Home Center delivered a new stove last Tuesday, Teddy breathed a sigh of relief. Just in the nick of time, his family could relax and have a peaceful holiday.

Housing Nantucket is the only nonprofit entirely dedicated to creating accessible housing opportunities for island residents. Between our affordable rentals and covenant homes, 141 year-round, working families live in housing created through our programs. Your support enables us to expand our reach and maintain the community’s investment in housing. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

*At the tenant’s request, a pseudonym has been used to respect his family’s privacy.