Opinion | Howard: Nighthawk Circle: Part of Habitat’s long view
Courtesy photo
We recently held a home dedication ceremony for 17 families who helped build and then buy their Habitat homes at Stratton Flats in Gypsum. If you have not been to a Habitat home dedication yet, I recommend you add it to your list. You will leave feeling the warm embrace of community, and perhaps a few tears lighter. Every ceremony is special and so heartfelt. Most homeowners were one rent increase, one unsafe living situation, one unexpected bill away from having to leave our community. We know that every person who moves away when they can’t find stable housing leaves a hole in our community. It’s so gratifying when homeowners find stability through Habitat’s program.
These thoughts swirled in my head as I looked west down Nighthawk Circle and saw a vibrant neighborhood with kids zooming on scooters, playing cornhole, neighbors chatting and gathering on porches. There is so much history on that street — years of families building lives and years of partnerships that helped build this community.
About 15 years ago, we had a big idea with the hope of the vision in front of me coming to fruition. It was a cold, windy day in early winter when Habitat Vail Valley Executive Director John and I, with a few of our biggest supporters, went to a bank-owned tract of land in Gypsum. I am not exaggerating when I share that tumbleweeds blew by, the sky was a bleached dull gray and one desolate road trailed through the property.
We had to raise a significant amount of money to buy this land — more than we had ever raised at that time in our history. And we had to have a certain amount of trust from the people we were asking to be part of our vision. This had never been done and while it felt exciting, it also felt nerve wracking — asking our donors to believe in us enough to invest almost a million dollars in a plot of land that felt like a promise for the future.
Obviously, our donors and board believed in us, in the project and the community we envisioned building, which gets me back to early June when we hosted a home dedication celebration at Stratton Flats.
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The community on Nighthawk Circle, the once desolate-seeming road, is thriving with all kinds of families, living near each other and looking out for each other. If you happen to be there when the school bus is picking up or dropping off, plan ahead because there is a line of adorable kids waiting to get on or off.
The neighborly feeling starts right when the Habitat homeowners start building their homes (“sweat equity”). They build their homes and the homes of their neighbors. New relationships are forged as they build stairs, hang doors and help with the plumbing. The relationships continue to thrive as they move in and make the houses into homes.
Over the years the neighborhood has grown. With a Kaboom grant, we added the park. There are sidewalks and bike paths. Stratton Flats is also home to the Spring Creek Apartments, townhomes and duplexes, each filling a need where people can simply be. The first Habitat homes were completed in 2012. The children who started off there are grown — the valedictorian from Eagle Valley High School is from Stratton Flats; there are law enforcement officers, teachers, tradespeople, stay-at-home moms and business owners who all make our valley a better place to live.
That afternoon in June when 17 more Habitat homeowners moved in, everyone felt the comradery, the vibrancy, the hope and the community. Looking down the street left me in awe of what we can create when we put our minds to it and work together — 72 homes with homeowners who can save for their futures and dream big.
Learn more about Habitat Vail Valley and our four-year plan to “Build to 200” from Gypsum to Vail. We’d love to give you a tour of Habitat neighborhoods or have you volunteer.
Elyse Howard is the vice president of community affairs and philanthropy at Habitat Vail Valley. In addition, she’s intent on helping build and retain community throughout Eagle County. Learn more about Habitat at habitatvailvalley.org.
