It might not be the best time of year to take a plunge into the frigid waters of the Chesapeake Bay – unless it’s for a very worthwhile cause.
Brave participants called “dippers” will charge into the surf at Cape Charles this Saturday, Feb. 28, to support homeownership opportunities for individuals and families on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
It will mark the 29th Eastern Shore Habitat for Humanity’s “Freezin’ for a Reason” fundraiser.
“This has become a signature event, itself raising almost enough money to completely purchase construction materials for a house,” said Chris Guvernator, executive director of the Eastern Shore Habitat for Humanity.
Since its 1988 founding, the organization has built 57 homes for modest-income families in Accomack and Northampton counties. The 58th is under construction.
ESVA Habitat is self-funded through several annual events – like Freezin’ for a Reason –, donations andprofits from its ReStore, located in Exmore, Guvernator said.
Cape Charles resident Haresh Mirchandani, this year’s event coordinator, said the plunge is more than just a tradition, it creates the opportunity for volunteers to break ground on the next home.
“As we face a critical housing shortage for lower-income families on our rural Eastern Shore, Freezin’ for a Reason stands as our most vital lifeline,” he said.
A comprehensive study from March 2022 by the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission identified that the Shore was experiencing a shortage of roughly 2,000 housing units.
That included a large gap in available and affordable housing, especially for modest-income families who found themselves suddenly facing high costs, including increasing monthly rental rates, according to the study.
It also pointed out that as available housing stock declines and prices increase, higher-income buyers might choose less costly properties. This further reduces the number of homes available to other buyers.
The shortage is precisely the reason, said Guvernator, that ESVA Habitat has now committed to four new builds per year, up from three last year.
“Our homeowners might not otherwise qualify for a traditional mortgage,” he said. “But, we keep the costs down and structure a mortgage that moves our families up into homeownership.”
He said that payments on their no-to low-interest loans are kept to around $700 per month, and are used to fund ongoing building projects.
Nadijah “Nye” Brown noticed the disparity between housing costs and income levels more than five years ago while looking for a home.
“The prices just didn’t match up,” she said. “Nothing was affordable. Even lots cost too much.”
At the time, Brown and her son were living with her grandfather in his trailer that had fallen into disrepair.
They needed a solution. She also wanted something she could call her own. It led her to contact ESVA Habitat for Humanity.
In early March, it will be three years since she closed on her three-bedroom home in Melfa, where she, her son and grandfather all still reside together.
Brown actually started her path to home ownership in 2020 when she began Habitat’s somewhat lengthy application process. She learned she was accepted the following year, and she broke ground on her future home in June 2022.
It's a place Brown created with a good bit of sweat equity. She estimates she tallied close to 500 volunteer hours, not just the required 350, on her home and others. Habitat applicants pitch in and help where they can.
“I helped in the office on Tuesdays, but on Saturday, I was on site somewhere … even if I had to work around my job schedule,” she said.
Along the way, Brown learned a good deal about home construction. She proudly shares she helped with some of the electrical wiring in her own home.
“I now have a pretty good idea of what to do if something goes wrong,” Brown said.
Acknowledging it was a long process from start to finish, she was quick to encourage others who might apply to ESVA Habitat.
“Even if you think you can’t make this work, just try for it,” Brown said. “Don’t give up.”
ESVA Habitat is currently accepting new home ownership applicants. If interested, call the office at 757-442-4687. To participate in this year’s Freezin’ for a Reason, fill out the pre-registration form here, or visit Cape Charles Brewing Company on Friday, Feb. 27 from 12-5 p.m.
The event is Saturday, Feb. 28 at 11:30 a.m. at the Cape Charles Beachfront.
