Eleven families received their key to a home they helped build, assisted by USDA Rural Development and Peoples’ Self-Help Housing’s Mutual Self-Help Program, at a key ceremony February 24.
To date, USDA Rural Development has partnered to build more than 50,000 houses nation-wide under the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program. Atascadero Triangle homes is one of those communities.
“Families worked together on nearly every aspect of construction of each other’s homes including, laying foundations, constructing walls, hanging sheet rock and painting their homes,” said Richard Brassfield, Acting Director for USDA Rural Development in California. “These families earned “sweat equity” by providing 65-75 percent of the labor in constructing their homes.”
By working in partnership with trusted local organizations, the self-help program helps qualifying families get affordable, clean and safe homes in rural areas.
“Homeowners on average put about 1500 hours of work into these houses,” said Ron Tackett, Single Family Program Director for Rural Development in California. “That is a lot with a full-time job and a family, but this is why we have our program – to help hard-working people achieve home-ownership.”
As a family of four with two young children, Martin and Erica Rodriguez relied on their community to help with childcare and support while they built their home.
“We moved here four years ago,” Erica said. “This is such a blessing for our family, our church family helped us with childcare while we worked and we are just excited to be a part of the community.”
Residents put in about 40 hours-a-week for the last six months to complete the homes.
“It was a lot of hard work, and there were obstacles to overcome to see the bigger picture,” said Martin. “But we now have a home for our children to grow up in.”
Connections formed during the building process were more than superficial, extended families who were partners in the building process are now neighbors.
“We can’t wait to move in,” said Ramon Palomino, an Atascadero Triangle homeowner. “My son and grandson will be living right next door.”
The Single Family Housing Direct Home Loans program assists applicants to obtain decent, safe and sanitary housing in eligible rural areas by providing payment assistance to increase an applicant’s repayment ability. Payment assistance is a type of subsidy that reduces the mortgage payment for a short time. The amount of assistance is determined by the adjusted family income.