" I have so much more than
just a house — I helped
build a community for my
son to grow up in."
When she became a single mother at 26,
Naomi Rodriguez made a promise — to own
a house with a safe backyard for Jeremiah,
her newborn son, to play in by the time she
was 30.
But despite working two jobs and saving her money for several years, she found that the only places she could afford needed lots of work or were in bad neighborhoods. Then she happened to mention her problem to a co-worker.
"She told me about KCCHA's Self-Help program, where you earn a down payment by building your own home," says Naomi. "Even so, I thought these homes must be dumps."
Naomi's attitude changed when she saw her co-worker's house. The next day, she signed up for the program, which requires participants to work 30 hours per week — in addition to their regular jobs — building their homes. No family moves in until all the homes are complete. KeyBank and USDA Rural Development provide the loans, which require no down payment. The participants earn their down payment through their sweat equity. USDA-RD also provides a grant for construction supervisors who lead "self-helpers" step-by-step through construction.
The first day at the job site in Kingston was a lot tougher than Naomi thought it would be.
"At the end of the day, my long nails were broken, my back hurt, muscles I didn't even know I had just ached," she says. "I complained to my friend who was babysitting my son, but she just looked at me and said, 'hey, you're getting your own house!'
"But now it's worth it — I have so much more than just a house — I helped build a community for my son to grow up in," Naomi says.
2001 Annual Report:
[ 1. Cover ] [ 2. Messages ] [ 3. Mission & Board ] [ 4. Self-Help ] [ 5. 1st Home Buyer Class ] [ 6. Fort Ward ] [ 7. Fort Ward (cont.) ] [ 8. Affordable Housing ] [ 9. Affordable Housing (cont.) ] [ 10. Homework Club ] [ 11. Financial Summary ] [ 12. Contact Information ] [ Annual Reports Home ]
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This is an Equal Opportunity Program.