Tears flowed freely in Oak Harbor Monday afternoon when Habitat for Humanity surprised six Whidbey families with the news that they will soon become homeowners.

Some Habitat officials believe Monday’s reveal was the largest in the local organization’s history.

“This was our one and only chance to ever own a home,” said Laney Parks, who was chosen with her daughter to build and move into a Habitat home within the next year.

Tearfully, she described how much she is looking forward to having a place to invite friends and family over — something she and her daughter haven’t been able to do for four years.

“We’re going to have a big Thanksgiving one year, as soon as the house is ready,” she said.

The six families selected will be helping each other build their homes over the next year.

The high number of families chosen is both a reflection of the stark lack of affordable housing on Whidbey and an increase in support for housing organizations like Habitat. COO Erik Mann said when the nonprofit opened applications for this round of building, it received over 30, many more than is typical.

For every family that received good news on Monday, added CEO Orin Kolaitis, there was at least one other family that qualified, but that Habitat was unable to help at this time.

Still, as the housing crisis has harmed more and more families, Whidbey residents have stepped up to show their support.

“Donors have really been generous,” said resource development manager Kathy Blair. “This is the most we’ve ever raised in a year.”