USDA Rural Development and the City of Liberal held a ribbon cutting ceremony for four newly completed self-help homes. The homes are located on Charles Street in Liberal.
“USDA is committed to providing access for safe, decent and affordable housing for rural Kansans,” said USDA Rural Development Single Family Housing Director, Kent Colwell. “Through the partnership with the city of Liberal, several homeowners have been able to realize the dream of homeownership with the assistance of the self-help program.”
USDA Rural Development has partnered with the city of Liberal’s Mutual Self-Help program to construct 55 homes in the past decade.
USDA Rural Development’s Mutual Self-Help Program allows families to work together in groups to build their own home. A public body, or nonprofit organization, coordinates the program by assisting homeowners with: finding lots, developing house plans, working with contractors, coordinating materials, training participants on the skills needed to complete construction tasks, providing construction supervision and assisting families with obtaining a loan to build a self-help home.
USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure programs through a national network of state and local offices. Rural Development has an active portfolio of more than $213 billion in loans and loan guarantees. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America.