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| Opportunities |  |
Realizing a dream |
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| Program Self-Help Housing Partners
"Most banks don't like sweat equity because they
think money is - Barb Kaye, |
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In November, 1999 they were three single moms, three couples and three single guys with nothing in common except that, for all of them, owning a home seemed a far-off dream. | |||
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 By fall, the homes at Weaver Creek will be complete. |
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Less than a year later, they are a
tight-knit community with plenty of hammer-smashed thumbs and lots of
building experience. Each member is nearing the goal of homeownership
through their own hard work and Kitsap County Consolidated Housing
Authority's Self-Help Housing Program.
"The Self-Help Housing Program takes people step by step through the home- building process," says KCCHA's Chris Ang. "They work together on each other's houses for nine months, learning as they're building their homes from bottom to top. They decide on bids together, they put in |
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windows together, they raise walls together | ||
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"I will never forget
this experience. In the beginning I said I couldn't do it. Now, watch out world!" - Laura, owner/builder "There is no better way to build a neighborhood. I wouldn't have it any other way." - Jack, owner/builder
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- and nobody moves in until
everybody's house is complete. "The sweat equity that participants
are putting into the project - at least 30 hours a week - is helping these
Bainbridge islanders afford a home while they also work fulltime at jobs
that include chef, medical assistant, bank teller and office manager.
KeyBank developed a loan program especially for KCCHA's Weaver Creek
development on Bainbridge Island that allows project participants to
substitute sweat equity for down payments and closing costs. Building a self-help home isn't easy. Kelly, a single mom, says she explained to her daughters at the beginning of the project that there would be a lot of sacrifices since she would be spending every spare moment working on the house. That meant no sports, no piano lessons. "Two months into the project, the little one was devastated that she couldn't go to a party because I had to work on the house," recalls Kelly. "I looked at her and said, 'Remember how we talked about this? Well, |
| this is the hard part.' " Despite |  "Building your own home can seem impossible at first, " says owner/builder Julie. Supervisor Del Sutton's whiteboard helps keep the job on track. |
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| Results So far, owners have built 600 affordable homes, with more to come. |
the hardships, all participants say that
the end results are worth it. They also say they are learning more than
construction techniques. "It's one of those once-in-a- lifetime things that has the potential to completely change your life," Laura, another single mom, says. "I can tell my daughter I built this house for us. She's going to know her mom is strong. And she'll have the tools she needs to survive." |
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1999 Annual Report:
[ 1 Cover ] [ 2 Message ] [ 3 Mission ] [ 4 Independence ] [ 5 Hope ] [ 6 Opportunities ] [ 7 Opportunities (cont.) ] [ 8 Futures ] [ 9 Futures (cont.) ] [ 10 Fiscal 1999 ] [ 11 New Programs ] [ 12 Properties ] [ Annual Reports Home ]
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This is an Equal Opportunity Program.