Eric White is young, single, employed, and he’s going to enjoy Christmas this year for the first time ever as a homeowner in Jefferson County.

The 29-year-old 2003 graduate of Port Townsend High School is a trailblazing homeowner of sorts.

He’s the first single man without children to build a house through Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County. And he won’t be the last.

“Too many people Eric’s age have been forced to leave the area in search of affordable housing, higher-wage jobs and lower costs of living,” said Jamie Maciejewski, Habitat’s executive director. “This house means Eric can remain in Jefferson County, live near family, and contribute to our local economy as a taxpayer and homeowner.”

Because Habitat officials say they are building more houses in Jefferson County than ever before they say they can better meet the needs of the county's diverse population, like White.

Jefferson County has been among the top 20 oldest counties in the entire country, and is one of the top three least-affordable counties in Washington. When compared to Washington statistics, Jefferson County has more working poor, fewer family households with children, fewer residents able to purchase a home and more low-wage service jobs, Maciejewski said.

A HUGE DEAL

“Huge” is the first word that came out of White’s mouth and it was almost the only word he wanted to use to express the thrill of homeownership at a Dec. 7 dedication event in Chimacum when he received the keys to his two-bedroom home on Brookside Street near the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.

“It’s huge. It means I can settle down and have stability, and not have a leaky roof or freezing pipes,” he said.

“Now that I’m here, my employer will know that I’m here for good, not just passing through,” said White, who currently works in maintenance at the Port Ludlow Golf Course. He received one raise recently, and because his employer knows he’s staying in the community, he’s hoping for more opportunities.

Everyone who is accepted to build a home through Habitat is required to put their time and muscle into helping building the home.

White had no idea how many hours he had personally spent working on his new home in order to be moved into it by Christmas.

“Three hundred to 400 maybe,” he said, pausing, then adding that it wasn’t just him. His parents, Wendy and Tom White, and his girlfriend, Rebekah Logue, and her parents,Kathleen and Robert Logue, and so many others have put sweat equity into helping him. He did, however, work 400 hours on his own.

The property the house sits on was donated by Noreen and Jim McCarron, and Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County worked to get financing to make the house happen, as well as serving as project coordinator.

As people assembled for the traditional key-passing ceremony, White stood in the driveway, welcoming and thanking people, and reflecting on the meaning of the event.

“I don’t think I’ve lived in the same place for more than three years,” he said.

White had been living in an RV park in a leaky travel trailer. During the most recent cold spell, the door to the trailer froze shut one night, and he had to crawl out a window in order to get to work on time.

YOUNG PEOPLE

The mortgage to the home he and so many people built will cost about the same as the rent he had been paying to park the trailer in the RV park, according to Habitat officials.

White’s house is valued at $149,000, and his mortgage will be roughly 30 percent of his income.

The median price of a home in Jefferson County in the third quarter of 2014 was $262,500, according to the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies. That service organization, which is now part of the University of Washington (see realestate.washington.edu), also has statistics on housing affordability. Those affordability statistics lag behind the median-price statistics.

In the second quarter of 2014, the median price of a home in Jefferson County was $242,700. To afford that house, a family would need to earn $64,650 a year, more than twice what White makes in his current service job in Port Ludlow.

“Our beautiful, rural community continues to welcome more retirees, as we watch younger people like Eric leave the area in search of higher-paying jobs and lower costs of living. This is not sustainable, and Habitat addresses this serious challenge by building homes in partnership with residents, including Eric White, who we need to live and work here for the health and future of this community.”

White’s home is the 34th house Habitat has built since 1998. Two other homes in Port Townsend also are under construction and they, too, will be owned by single adult men without children.