Beverly Vaughn
A grandmother in Kentucky rebuilt her home after a fire with help from STHC, securing a USDA loan, state HOME funds, and insurance proceeds to replace the house she lost.
Isis Goode
A Delaware mother repaired her credit, joined MHDC’s self-help build group, and continued constructing her new home even after a fire destroyed her rental, ultimately achieving homeownership through a USDA loan.
Julie Leavitt
A disabled renter in Colorado became a first-time homeowner through RCHA’s HCV homeownership program, using a USDA loan and voucher assistance to buy a house within walking distance of her job.
Eugene and Carolyn Reiner
An elderly South Dakota couple with serious health and financial limitations repaired their unsafe home through a USDA self-help rehab grant and volunteer labor, cutting project costs by more than half.
Ms. Gretchen Jackson
A longtime rental resident in rural Alabama improved her credit through SEASHA’s counseling program and became a first-time homeowner in 2015 using a USDA Section 502 loan.
Loma Linda Colonias
A migrant farmworker family in Texas had their unsafe, self-built colonia house fully rebuilt for $17,000 using MET training-program labor and federal rehab funds, replacing a dirt-floor structure with a safe, livable home.
Los Jardines Mutual Self-Help Housing
In Coachella, California, 205 very low-income families built their own homes in the Los Jardines subdivision through CVHC’s self-help program, contributing sweat equity and using affordable USDA financing to achieve homeownership.
Ma ili Hawaii
In Ma‘ili, Hawai‘i, 43 low-income families have already built—and 29 more are finishing—self-help homes in a 72-lot subdivision, each contributing 85% of construction labor and securing affordable USDA financing to avoid displacement.
Orland, California
A longtime renter in Orland, California joined CHIP’s mutual self-help build group, spending 30 labor hours per week to help construct her home alongside 16 other families, all financed through USDA loans with no down payment.
Parksdale
SHE is developing Parksdale Village in rural California, creating 126 self-help homes and 96 affordable rentals alongside new infrastructure and community amenities for low-income working families.