Staying for Good:

How Affordability Builds Community, One Homeowner at a Time

When Eros Belliveau arrived on Orcas in the summer of 2007, it was supposed to be temporary. He had a seasonal job at a restaurant after working hospitality in Seattle for years. He settled into employee housing—grateful for a bed, but living with strangers, no privacy and no certainty about what would come next.

“I thought it would be three months, maybe six,” he remembers. “But the island started to grow on me.
And once that happens, it’s hard to leave.”

Eros was no stranger to instability. Growing up in North Carolina, he was raised by a single mother who struggled to make ends meet. Frequent moves meant he never felt the security of a home of their own. Those early years shaped his desire for something different: a place to stay, to grow, to belong.

“We never had a house that was ours,” said Eros. “I wanted something different for myself—a place I could put my name on.”

On Orcas, that goal felt out of reach. Rental options were scarce and prices high. Eros juggled multiple jobs—waiting tables, cleaning cabins, house and pet sitting—doing whatever it took to stay on the island.

Then, through a friend, he heard about OPAL Community Land Trust. He applied, thinking it was a long shot. In 2009, he moved into a house at Wild Rose Meadow. It was the first home he had ever owned.

That home changed everything. The anxiety of wondering where he would live was gone. He could have pets without asking permission. He began to build equity instead of paying someone else’s mortgage. Most importantly, he could stay on Orcas permanently, in a community where he had begun to thrive.

With stability came opportunity. Today Eros works for the Orcas Island School District, a role he describes as deeply meaningful. During the summer season he still works in the restaurant industry because he enjoys it. His connections in the community run deep. He serves on the OPAL board of trustees, volunteers for OPAL events, helps with local fundraisers, and has represented OPAL at national housing conferences.

Home has also meant building a personal life rooted in joy. Eros met his husband, Tracy Todd, on Orcas—one of his favorite restaurant “regulars” in the early days. They married in the summer of 2024 on a beach just minutes from their front door. Together with Joey, their spirited Jack Russell mix, they have made their Wild Rose Meadow house into a true home.

“I used to carry a lot of anxiety about housing—how long I could stay, whether I’d be priced out. Now I have equity. I have roots. I have a sacred space that’s mine.”

What does affordable housing mean to him? He answers without hesitation: “It means I get to live. It means I get to give. And it means I get to stay.”