Mutual Self-Help Program Promotes Homeownership in Rural Colorado
USDA Rural Development (RD) Colorado State Director Sallie Clark today announced the awarding of a $660,000 Mutual Self-Help Technical Assistance Grant to Northeast Colorado Housing, Inc. (NECHI). “The grant funding will allow for individuals and families to attain the dream of homeownership through the USDA Mutual Self-Help Program,” said Clark.
“Recently, five families made the dream become reality and are now celebrating the holidays in their new homes in the Fort Morgan/Brush areas,” said Clark. Under the Mutual Self-Help Program, RD provides grants to qualified organizations such as NECHI who then supervise groups of very-low- and low-income individuals and families as they construct their own homes in rural areas. The group members provide most of the construction labor on each other’s homes, with technical assistance from the organization overseeing the project. “One key aspect of participating in a Mutual Self-Help Group is the knowledge you acquire on home building and repairs, the partnerships and comradery you build with your neighbors, and at the end having a beautiful affordable new home to call your own,” said Clark.
This new grant will allow for the construction of 20 new homes in Logan, Morgan, and Yuma Counties. If you are interested in participating in the Mutual Self-Help program to build a new home, contact Sharon Helms or Sonia Perez at (970) 542-1221. The next group is slated to begin building in late Spring 2021.