Rural Issues
Jennifer Emerling/ There Is More Work To Be Done
Self-Help Housing
Families in rural communities should be able to leverage their hard work to own their home and build wealth.
Why Self-Help Housing?
There are many potential homeowners who fall short financially, but are able to contribute time and labor toward the construction or rehabilitation of their homes. Owning a home can change a life. It can be a gateway to financial stability and to building wealth that can be passed on to future generations. The self-help housing model provides an opportunity for people who would otherwise not qualify to own their own homes.
A chance to build a home and community
The self-help housing model helps bridge the gap in housing affordability by having participant families work together to build their homes. Instead of requiring a down payment, the prospective homeowners contribute their own labor to the project. When these families work together, they learn valuable construction skills and build a sense of community with their neighbors.
HAC’s Self-Help Homeownership Opportunities Program (SHOP)
The Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP) awards grant funds to eligible national and regional nonprofit organizations and consortia to purchase home sites and develop or improve the infrastructure needed to set the stage for family labor contribution and volunteer-based homeownership programs for low-income persons and families. HAC uses SHOP funds in primarily rural areas to facilitate and encourage innovative homeownership opportunities through the provision of self-help housing.
Self-Help Housing Trainings from HAC’s Conference
HAC Loan Fund FY 2021 Impact Report
Self-Help Homeownership: What it means to Families
Florida Home Partnership: Building Green in Rural Florida
Building homes together in America’s “most rural state”