Last December, two days before her birthday, Gislene Carmagos received a phone call at work that shook the single mother of three to her core.
"I almost had a heart attack; I literally started shaking," she said, her voice quivering just thinking about it. "My co-worker thought something happened to one of my kids. I just couldn't believe it."
That day, Carmagos was told that her family was one of the eight chosen to buy one of the affordable homes being constructed in Peabody by North Shore Habitat for Humanity. Carmagos, an immigrant from Brazil who works three jobs and about 100 hours per week to support herself and her children, in addition to taking a heavy course load at North Shore Community College, is purchasing one of the two beautiful, 1,300-square-foot homes at 5 Park St. for just $125,000. She will receive a no-interest loan and won't need to put any money down. The deal is the same for the other seven families, including Nancy and Jamie Burgess, who will occupy the other 5 Park St. unit with their three children.
"Sometimes I still think I'm dreaming. Until I have that piece of paper in my hand that says this is mine, I don't think I'll fully believe it," Carmagos said.
On Sunday, Habitat for Humanity volunteers, city officials, Mayor Michael Bonfanti and others gathered at 5 Park St. to dedicate the newly rehabbed building, which was once a condemned, foreclosed, nine-apartment eyesore. The fire marshal had ordered the building shuttered, though squatters were still an issue. The building was so worn out, nothing but the frame and foundation were salvageable, said Don Preston, the president of North Shore Habitat for Humanity. In its place now stands a gem — totally refurbished, historically accurate and energy-efficient.
"It's very exciting, not only for the families, but for all the volunteers. We had many regular volunteers on-site bring their wives and husbands to see what they've been working on, what they've created," Preston said. "It takes a community to do this, and that's what we have here: a community."
Hundreds of volunteers and businesses have worked on the building since 2009, everyone from crane operators to painters, metal workers, roofers, architects, Essex Aggie and MIT students, church groups, and many more. The property and materials were essentially the only costs for Habitat.
"This house has more work into it than any house we've done or house we anticipate doing because of the amount of decorative work we had to do to meet the city's historic requirements," Preston said.
The molding, windows, even a cupola had to be specially made to appease the city's Historic Commission.
"It's over the top. Visually, it's a showpiece," Preston said. "On this one, we think the city got more than the dollar value out of it. Everybody is thrilled with the end result."
Work will soon be under way across the street at 12 Park St., which will consist of three buildings — two new constructions and one major rehab — slated to be completed in spring 2013.
The entire project cost about $1.5 million, of which the city has chipped in $700,000. Peabody used $500,000 from its inclusionary zoning fund and another $200,000 in Community Preservation Act money.
"This is what a neighborhood is all about. Good people, coming together to make where they live a better place," Bonfanti said as he addressed the crowd Sunday.
About 50 families applied for the opportunity to buy the new homes, but the candidate pool was thinned according to income criteria. For a family of four, for example, the annual income range was a minimum of $36,720 and a maximum of $55,080.
Each family is also required to put 400 hours of "sweat equity" into the project. For Carmagos, a counselor in the career, youth and mental-health fields, working alongside the dedicated volunteers was a pleasure.
Each Saturday for the last two months Carmagos has had a hellacious schedule few people could handle: From 8 a.m. to noon, she attended classes; from noon to 4 p.m., she helped build her new house; from 5 to 11 p.m., she worked one of her three jobs; then from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday morning, she worked job No. 2. It's all been worth it.
"I never, ever dreamed I could buy a house. It was too expensive, I never even tried," she said. "This is a dream come true."
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