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For approximately 20 months, five women in Milford, Delaware have worked side-by-side on nights and weekends helping each other build their own homes with the support of USDA Rural Development's Self-Help Housing program.
Karen Smith is one of the five women that hammered, sawed and hung drywall and doors that now allow her to open the door and raise the windows in her new 1,344 square foot home in the Cedar Creek Landing development located just off Route 1 near Milford.
Milford Housing Development Corporation, a nonprofit organized in 1977, owns the property at Cedar Creek Landing that is in the first phase of construction that will eventually include nearly 50 single family homes. Milford Housing works in partnership with USDA Rural Development supporting the Self-Help Housing Program that is based on hard core labor better known as "sweat equity". Groups of 5-10 families, or individuals, who want to learn how to build their own homes under the supervision of a professional construction foreman, work together learning a trade that will benefit them for a life time. Families perform at least 65 percent of the labor on their homes and all participants work on each other's houses. Nno one moves in until the last home is completed.
President Bush has a goal of helping 5.5 million minority families attain the dream of homeownership by 2010. USDA Rural Development has several homeownership programs available that range from building your own home to purchasing a home that is already built. Rural Development has doubled the amount of homeownership dollars available this year compared to the previous year as a result of the President's homeownership initiative.
USDA Rural Development can help people buy, build, rent or repair a home in areas with a population of 10,000 people or less. Last year in Delaware, Rural Development helped 154 families become homeowners. So far this year, the agency has helped approximately 100 new homeowners and is continuing to accept new applications in their Georgetown and Dover offices.
Rural Development's mission is to deliver programs in a way that will support increasing economic opportunity and improve the quality of life of rural residents. Rural Development provides equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure. Further information can be obtained by visiting the USDA Rural Development website at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.
Pictured, above: (L) Homeownership represents the American Dream and homeowner, Karen Smith was presented the American Flag. Congratulating her are David Moore, Deputy Director, Milford Housing Development Corporation; Marlene Elliott, State Director, USDA Rural Development; Saundra R. Johnson, Director, Delaware State Housing Authority. (R) Karen Smith and her daughter Whitney at the keyboard in the Smith home.
Homeownership Month 2004 Home Page
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