I just feel very lucky to not only be a part of something bigger than myself, but to be able to stay in our home town, where I grew up, where my kids grew up.”

Holly, homeowner

Neither (homeowner) could afford a new home, or any new home for that matter. So this was the only way they were going to have their own home.”

Christine Lacourse, Buzzards Bay Area Habitat For Humanity

The town made a substantial commitment, but they (Habitat) did a great job.”

Bob Barboza, Westport Affordable Housing Trust Fund housing officer

It’s tough to make these things work, especially in towns with high land values. We would like to see more.”

Jim Sabra, chairman of Westport Affordable Housing Trust Fund

Some time soon — it could be a month, maybe two — Holly will finally have a beautiful new home to call her own.

When that day comes, the 1989 Westport High School graduate and single mother of two will breathe a sigh of relief that she long thought she’d never experience.

“I keep pinching myself,” said Holly, one of two homeowners chosen to purchase a unit in Buzzards Bay Area Habitat For Humanity’s first-ever project in Westport, a duplex on five acres of land on Sodom Road.

“I just feel very lucky to not only be a part of something bigger than myself, but to be able to stay in our home town, where I grew up, where my kids grew up.”

Four years after Habitat For Humanity (HFH) started working with the town to fund and build its first affordable homes in Westport, volunteers have nearly finished work on the duplex and have selected Holly, and fellow homeowner Beronica, to purchase the deed-restricted units for $170,000 each — a fraction of the cost of the many new homes currently rising along Sodom, which are selling for up to $800,000 each.

Each 1,500-square-foot unit has three bedrooms, a deck, living room, kitchen and two bathrooms. Each is built with solar technology and other energy efficiency features, and each is designed with “passive house strategies” — meaning energy costs should be extremely low.

Holly, who for the past decade has been living with her mother, daughter and son, was one of dozens of applicants to throw her hat into the ring when Habitat For Humanity began accepting applications from prospective homeowners in 2021. The process is long and stringent, and those interested had to demonstrate a “severity of need,” meaning they didn’t earn enough to purchase a home on their own, or were living in substandard housing, among other possible prerequisites. There were many other requirements, and applicants went through many interviews with a family selection committee.

Though she had heard of the organization through her work for a well-drilling company in Dartmouth, Holly didn’t think she’d have much of a shot at winning what she said amounted to a lottery.

“But I said, ‘I have to go for it.’ We’ve been on a roller coaster ride for 10 years, so to have our own space just to call our own is everything. We’ve been living with my mom, and I’m very thankful. But that has its own set of challenges — I just can’t wait for it to be just us again, to have time with them before (the kids) go out into the world.”

Long time coming

The road toward moving in has been long, but it’s been eagerly awaited also by members of the Westport Affordable Housing Trust, which worked with Habitat For Humanity to make the duplex possible.

The land was formerly privately owned under a 61A restriction, meaning its owners received preferential tax status as long as it was used for agricultural purposes. Under the law, the owners were required to give the Town of Westport the right of first refusal upon their decision to sell the property and exit the 61A program.

When the owners did that, the town’s administration sent notices to the town’s various departments to gauge interest. The housing trust’s curiosity was piqued and the trust acquired the land that spring for $119,000, using Community Preservation Act funds appropriated to them at Town Meeting the previous year.

Prior to the town’s purchase, “we did the due diligence to make sure that it could support multi-family and that it would be capable of supporting a septic system,” said Bob Barboza, the housing officer for the trust.

The trust issued an RFP for developers interested in developing the land for affordable housing. One of the interested parties was Habitat For Humanity, which is based in Mattapoisett and hadn’t yet ventured into Westport. The organization’s application was accepted, and the land was sold to the non-profit affordable housing developer in 2022 for the token sum of $1,000.

Since then, the town has been working hand in hand with HFH, and Westport has contributed additional funds to help make the duplex a reality.

“The town made a substantial commitment, but they (Habitat) did a great job,” Barboza said. “I’m looking at the list ... there were seven different grants or donations that they secured for a good chunk of the money” needed to build the homes.

Christine Lacourse, director of HFH, said the town’s assistance has been essential, and she said she is profoundly thankful for Westport’s efforts to increase the stock of affordable housing here. With prices through the roof, she said, “neither (homeowner) could afford a new home, or any new home for that matter. So this was the only way they were going to have their own home.”

Apart from the town’s indispensable help, she said, “there have been so many supporters of this project.”

Sweat equity

One of the tenets of the Habitat For Humanity’s model is that homeowners contribute 300 hours of “sweat equity” into the build, and work alongside volunteer tradesmen and women to build it.

“It’s a great program because they get to work alongside the volunteers and they can see all that goes into building the homes, and really appreciate it,” Lacourse said.

In Holly’s case, it was a big learning curve. But she said she has relished all of it, working every weekend for the past two or so years on everything from framing to drywall to flooring and more.

“Literally the first day we were there, we were in the basement which was literally just walls at that point, measuring for the lolly columns,” she recalls. “I couldn’t believe it! They’ll give you power tools, they’ll let you do whatever you want. To be honest, I wasn’t comfortable with power tools though I’m OK with a nail gun. So we did a lot of other things.”

Holly considers herself an organizer, so when she wasn’t building she spent a lot of time getting things ready for the builders, cleaning up and making everything tidy.

As the weekends roll on, “you just get into your groove. And there were so many fabulous people who showed up and helped — Jason, John, two different Jims, a James, a Chuck ... there were two different Franks — just a totally awesome group of guys. Some of them are handymen by hobby, some by trade, some were retired. They all became friends.”

As the build progressed, “it became something I looked forward to every week. Everyone was there to help and they were very patient.”

“It’s so cool — having gone through it, I would volunteer on another Habitat house on my own. The whole process is just so cool.”

More to come?

There is still much to be done before the duplex units are ready for their new owners, and the current closing date is set for late April. As they await that day, HFH and the town are looking ahead, and Lacourse said HFH is actively searching for other parcels here that would be suitable for Habitat homes.

On the town side, the trust is starting a new RFP process seeking suitable land, Barboza said, and a CPC warrant article at this year’s Town Meeting, if passed, would provide more funds for similar projects in the future.

Jim Sabra, the housing trust board’s chairman, said he is excited for the future. With the economic need clearly out there, he said, similar builds have a potential to bring real change to Westport one family at a time.

“It’s tough to make these things work, especially in towns with high land values,” he said. “We would like to see more.”