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Annual Reports

Mission:

Nurturing and sustaining a vibrant island community by providing year-round housing opportunities for working families

Vision for the future:

The Cranberry Isles is a bustling community of 200+ year-round residents of all ages, with a thriving school, a strong summer community, and a robust economy.

Overview:

CIRT provides five rental homes on Great Cranberry Island and currently one on Little Cranberry Island (Islesford); however, it will add four more rental home units on Islesford in 2024.

In addition, CIRT has helped two families on Islesford purchase their own homes; these homes are protected in perpetuity as year-round, affordable homes. Also, CIRT has protected one home on GCI as a permanent year-round only residence. CIRT provides financial assistance to eligible families to purchase their own homes on the islands – see the Cranberry Homes Assistance Program (CHAP) information.

CIRT was founded in 1996, with support and encouragement from the Town of Cranberry Isles, to provide affordable year-round housing for those who could not otherwise afford it. The Board of Directors has always included both year-round and seasonal residents of both islands. After establishing the organization and receiving federal charitable status in May, 1998, CIRT’s initial goal was to provide a rental home for working families on both Great and Little Cranberry islands. The Rice House on Cranberry was purchased around 1999, and CIRT had the Maple Ave house on Islesford built in 2000. CIRT later obtained a second home on Great Cranberry; and, in June, 2014, built two new rental homes on Great Cranberry. In addition to providing rental homes, CIRT has provided financial support to two families on Islesford, allowing them to acquire their own island homes. CIRT’s covenants on these homes ensure permanent year-round residency and affordability. CIRT continues to grow in response to generous donations and volunteer commitments by community members on both islands. As funds become available, we plan to provide additional rental opportunities on Islesford, develop land we own on Cranberry as year-round building lots, and assist working families on both islands to purchase homes.

CIRT has made possible the following properties:

On Great Cranberry:

Kane House, 5 Elwood Spurling Lane – Year-round, three bedrooms rental house on 5 Elwood Spurling Lane. Has been occupied by the same family for almost ten years. The 50 year old house had been donated to CIRT by Cap Kane.
Woodland House, 21 Komusin Lane – Year-round three-bedroom rental house has been occupied for almost ten years. Built in 2014 on land donated by Bruce Komusin with the assistance from CIRT, the community and state.
Pondview House, 15 Komusin Lane – Year-round, three-bedroom rental house has been occupied by the same family for almost ten years. Built in 2014 on land donated by Bruce Komusin with assistance from CIRT, the community and state.
25 Komusin Lane – Year-round rental house built on land donated by Bruce Komusin. The house was built in 2023 with assistance from CIRT, the community and state, and with proceeds from the sale of the Rice House, and the sale of the Preble Cove House – which had been bequeathed to CIRT by Bruce Komusin.
27 Komusin Lane – Year-round rental built in 2023 on land donated by Bruce Komusin. The house was built with assistance from CIRT, the community and state, and with proceeds from the sale of the Rice House, and the sale of the Preble Cove House – which had been bequeathed to CIRT by Bruce Komusin.
The Rice House, 88 Cranberry Road – A privately owned home with CIRT covenants ensuring it is permanently affordable and will only be used for year-round occupancy in perpetuity. The house had been owned by CIRT since about 1999; it was sold in August 2022. Built in the mid-1800s.

On Islesford:

24 Maple Avenue House – Year-round, three-bedroom rental home. Has been occupied by the same family since about 2017. The house was built by CIRT around 1999 with assistance from CIRT and the community.
Bunker Homestead, 122 Main Street – A privately owned home with CIRT covenants ensuring it is permanently affordable and will only be used for year-round occupancy in perpetuity. CIRT provided significant financial support around 2009 for a private family to buy the house.
51 Cross Street – A privately owned home with CIRT covenants ensuring it is permanently affordable and will only be used for year-round occupancy in perpetuity. CIRT provided very modest financial support in early 2020 to assist the family to purchase the house.
Four More Rental Units Coming for Islesford – We acquired Peyton and Elaine Egleston’s properties on Cross Road and Maple Ave in June 2024 and will be converting them to four rental units. Please see the Rental Homes section for more details.