The deadline to apply for Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP) funds through the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) is Friday, May 6, 2011, no later than 4 p.m. Eastern at the HAC office. Read more >>

This section contains the April interest rate, highlighted USDA Rural Development Administrative Notices, Unnumbered Letters and other resources and references. Read more >>

By Angela Sisco, RCAC rural development specialist

Often, one of the biggest challenges for self-help housing grantees is to find families that qualify for the program. Mutual Self-Help Housing grantees have found successful recruiting programs by going back to basics. Read more >>

On March 8, Utah grantees and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development staff, joined by people from Washington, D.C., met in Springdale, Utah to participate in the Mutual Self-Help Housing Network Meeting at the Best Western ZION Lodge in the mouth of ZION National Park. Read more >>

On March 9, Color Country Community Housing celebrated the completion of another successful self-help group with a ribbon cutting and open house at its Ivins I subdivision. The celebration was in honor of the six families (four very-low income, two low-income) that devoted 10 months of hard work to the construction of their homes. The group included head of household families and a retired mother and daughter team.

All families within the group shared successes and struggles from the time they submitted their loan applications to when they completed their homes. Read more >>

Color Country Community Housing Inc. hosted a Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) wall raising party at its Mutual Self-Help Housing program build in Ivins, Utah on March 10.

More than 50 volunteers, including staff from Utah’s USDA Rural Development area offices, Color Country, RCAC and self-help homeowners were at the Ivins site installing the SIPs panels on two self-help homes. Read more >>

RCAC’s Loan Fund has lending capital available to help finance your housing development, whether you need financing for acquisition, predevelopment or construction. RCAC offers competitive rates and timely and responsive processing. Read more >>

By Art Seavey, RCAC rural development specialist

In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) jointly introduced a voluntary labeling program for products aimed at promoting energy efficiency. Today, these governmental bodies have moved well beyond appliances and into whole home rating systems. With increased awareness of global climate changes, and increasing emphasis on alternative energy generation, more states are adopting stricter energy codes to meet established goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many states have adopted a policy that will require all new buildings to be net zero, that is, they will produce as much energy as they consume by a certain year in the not-so-distant future. Read more >>

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