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Self-Help Builder News December 2012 Volume 5, Issue #4 >
A long time coming
RCAC welcomes seven new Self-Help grantees in the west
By Angela Sisco, RCAC rural development specialist
RCAC is proud to introduce the rural West’s newest Section 523 grantees. The new grantees’ projects range from straw bale construction demonstration projects and tribal models, to rehabilitation and traditional new construction self-help programs.
Community Rebuilds
Community Rebuilds is in Moab, Utah where the tourism-based economy has made building affordable homes in a conventional manner largely impossible. Community Rebuilds is excited to participate in a demonstration pilot within the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program – using construction technologies new to the self-help program coupled with using student interns as volunteer labor. The organization views straw bale construction, in conjunction with dedicated student volunteers, as an opportunity to open the door to more green construction for low-income families. The model is especially useful in the poverty stricken areas the organization serves, such as tribal lands. Community Rebuilds is driven to create affordable housing by reducing construction costs with volunteer labor, and reducing long-term utility costs and maintenance through the construction of passive solar and highly insulated straw bale homes.
Diocese of Yakima,Catholic Charities Housing Services (CCHS)
In 2007, the Diocese of Yakima submitted a 523 technical assistance grant application. Unfortunately after several months of waiting, the diocese discovered that there wasn’t enough funding to allow new grantees. Since then, the diocese’s housing department, CCHS has built affordable housing that offers homeownership opportunities primarily to farm workers in Central Washington. These families would otherwise have very little opportunity for homeownership, let alone decent housing. Using USDA’s Rural Home Loan Program (RHLP), a version of self-help that has less demand for labor but higher home loan costs, CCHS has built steadily in Central Washington. CCHS also provides supportive services that empower and encourage families to participate in self-enrichment activities. After waiting more than five years to participate in the self-help program, CCHS’s recent 523 award will enable it to reach even lower income families.
Quechan Tribally Designated Housing Entity (Quechan TDHE)
The Quechan Tribe (pronouncedkwuh-tsan, meaningthose who descended) is about to become the latest self-help grantee with a focus on owner-occupied self-help housing rehab. The Quechan TDHE is on the Fort Yuma Reservation in Arizona and California, where the need for (self-help) housing rehab is very high. Years of over-crowding in the area has caused a rapid increase in the wear-and-tear of older homes where it is estimated more than 300 are in need of rehab.
Agustin Tumbaga, Jr., Quechan TDHE executive director is no stranger to the USDA Rural Development Mutual Self-Help Housing Program. As an Arizona self-help family member, Tumbaga participated in the construction of his own home. Tumbaga also worked for two self-help organizations in Somerton, Arizona. Armed with his background, the willingness of Quechan homeowners, and assistance from USDA Rural Development and RCAC, the future of the Quechan self-help housing rehab program looks bright. Activities are scheduled to begin as early as December to assist 36 homeowners rehab their homes.
Calistoga Affordable Housing, Inc. (CAH)
In April 2001, CAH was formed as a nonprofit group to promote affordable housing development for local low-income residents in Napa County, California. CAH works with the City of Calistoga to increase and improve the affordable housing stock in the area and successfully launched “Rebuilding Calistoga” to engage the public, help each other and organize volunteers to repair the homes of seniors and those with disabilities. Since 2001, CAH has overseen the rehab of more than 70 homes for seniors and the disabled, and developed 18 self-help homes as a partner with Burbank Housing Development Corporation of Santa Rosa. CAH was awarded a USDA Rural Development pre-development grant to help develop the self-help program in Napa County.
Native American Development Corporation (NADC)
NADC isa certified Native Community Development Financial Institution that began as a technical assistance provider to support tribally owned manufacturing firms and expanded to provide loans, technical assistance and training to Native American owned businesses. Recently, the agency expanded its mission to include addressing Native American housing needs. Leonard Smith, executive director of NADC explains, “Native American Development Corporation was organized to assist the Native American communities to address social issues through economic development resources and programs. One program NADC is expanding is housing assistance as this is such a high priority with the lack of housing for the growing population in Indian communities. We are very excited to develop a housing program through the Rural Development agency for Native Americans in partnership with RCAC and others.” NADC’s service area includes Montana, with more than 74,000 Native Americans and seven tribal reservations; Wyoming; North and South Dakota. NADC plans to work with individual tribes to build self-help homes beginning with the Crow Nation in south central Montana, home to 8,143 (71.7%) of the 11,357 enrolled Apsáalooke tribal members.
NeighborWorks Sacramento (NWS)
NWS currently offers a wide array of programs and resources in its 14-county service area in California including first-time homebuyer education, owner occupied rehab, neighborhood stabilization and credit counseling. Becoming a USDA Rural Development 523 Mutual Self-Help Housing grantee provides NWS with another tool to help families build their own homes. It will use the self-help method in eight of the rural counties it serves. NWS came to the program well equipped to take on the task when it hired eight former Mercy Housing California staff members in May 2011, when Mercy Housing California left the 523 grant program.
Southeastern Utah Association of Local Governments (SEUALG)
Based in Price, Utah, SEUALG has a geographically large four-county service area where it is a long-time, successful provider of housing and housing rehab programs. The organization was recently awarded a 523 grant to complete 12 acquisition/rehab houses and five new construction homes. SEUALG plans to help participants buy an existing home with 502 direct funds and include the rehab construction costs in the loan. SEUALG estimates that it can reach very low-income families with a loan in the $100,000 range, whereas the new construction model in the area would come closer to $180,000. SEUALG expects to start in early January 2013, as soon as participants can be matched to the appropriate property.