Bus tour sees fruits of affordable-housing effort

The Furtado Bus Lines tour that pulled into the parking lot of a former motel in Harwich this week carried not tourists but nearly 50 people who support the development of affordable housing.

The Lower Cape Cod Community Development Corp. arranged Monday's bus tour to give donors and other supporters a first-hand look at the housing developments their funds and hard work had helped to create.

For Jake Ketchum, the former chairman of the CDC's economic development committee and a current contributor, the tour was the first time he'd stepped foot into one of the organization's housing developments.

"This is great," said Ketchum, after walking around a newly renovated studio apartment at Little Homesteads, a former captain's-style house with attached motel in Harwich.

Outside in the sunshine -- the CDC unknowingly picked the best weather day of the week -- Ketchum stood on the lawn and surveyed the toys owned by the family in the unit next door.

"I was on the committee all that time and never saw it," said Ketchum, a Wellfleet resident. "You can talk housing all day long. This is an old historic building, and someone can afford to live in it."

In a time when there is more competition than ever for non-profit donations and support, bus tours provide an innovative way to maintain donor loyalty.

Seeing firsthand how the Little Homestead rental housing fits nicely in the Cape landscape has made Mary Anthony of Eastham more supportive of the CDC than ever, she says.

"It's scattered housing so you don't know what's affordable and what's not," Anthony said. She also liked the big yard that children at Little Homesteads can play in.

Although the new unit being toured is not occupied yet, next-door neighbor Katie Sears and her two young children talked to the people on tour and answered their questions.

Because of the cooperation and support of builders, financiers, donors and other others, the rent at Little Homesteads is kept to what housing officials consider affordable levels. A one-bedroom goes for $584 a month plus utilities, for instance.

Sears, who lives in one of the larger units, moved in with her husband and two children in October. "We absolutely love it," she said. "This put a roof over our heads when we had nowhere else to go. We spent seven months one year camping."

Her happiness made an impression on tour goers.

"I think (CDC's) ideas are great, and this is proof," said Angela Karami of Brewster.

Elizabeth Bridgewater, executive director of the Lower Cape Cod CDC, got the idea for the bus tour after talking to State Rep. Shirley Gomes.

Years ago, Gomes had gone on a much smaller scale van tour of businesses the CDC was helping to establish.

"Every time I saw Shirley she talked about the tour, so I know it made an impression," Bridgewater said.

Plus, Bridgewater had gone on bus tours in a past job with an international aid organization. She had seen how appreciative donors were.

"I'm a firm believer in personal experience," she said. "Also, people like to meet each other. They're like-minded people. It builds community."

The bus tour idea is taking off elsewhere.

In California, where housing is also at a premium, a non-profit called the Liberty Hill Foundation took 30 participants on a bus tour of Mar Vista, Culver City and Venice, where the foundation hopes to preserve and expand affordable housing.

Liberty Hill claims it pioneered the use of van tours to engage donors with the projects their dollars fund. People who donate $500 or more are eligible to go on the tours.

Affordable housing projects make good destinations for bus tours organized by non-profits, as do grassroots business enterprises.

During Monday's tour, the Furtado bus -- whose use was made possible by a donor -- also visited a Chatam site where affordable housing is to be built and two CDC-supported businesses in Harwich and Orleans.

The tour ended with a cocktail party at the Orleans Inn, courtesy of the proprietor.

The opportunity to see the non-profit's work in action "makes it much more real, whether it's businesses or homes," said Gomes, who participated in Monday's bus tour and addressed the group at the Orleans Inn.

The sense of connection the tour built was palpable.

Kevin Galligan of Cape Light Compact, which provided free energy upgrades and new doors and windows at Little Homesteads, didn't ride the bus but met up with the group at the Harwich property.

He walked around the newly renovated apartment, commenting that its availability and low cost will make a permanent change in someone's life.

Then Galligan paused outside. "I see we didn't get all the light bulbs in.," he said. He made a note to himself and a staff member to get those installed before the tenant moves in.

"I can't help myself," Galligan laughed.

Thanks to the tour, it's not only the renter who feels a sense of ownership about Little Homesteads.