Eight families were celebrated on Saturday for moving up in the world of homeownership or for putting down new roots in Arbuckle.
NeighborWorks Sacramento hosted a block party in a Smoky Hollow area subdivision to celebrate the completion of the second phase of Self-Help homebuilding.
The Self-Help program is a growing trend that allows families to contribute labor hours or “sweat equity” that is used as a down payment on their new home.
The program reduces costs for a home that, under other circumstances, might not be affordable, said Sara Lewis, NW Sacramento director of sustainable living.
“To me, sustainable living assures every individual, regardless of their past or present experiences, have the opportunity to experience the pride of home ownership,” Lewis said.
The eight new homes are part of a second group of homes to be completed in Arbuckle through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development’s Mutual Self-Help Housing program. Several dozen Self-Help homes have been completed in Williams since 2020.
The eight families that crossed the threshold to homeowners built about 65 percent of the homes themselves, with supervision and guidance from construction supervisors.
The new homeowners committed about 35 hours a week in their and their neighbors’ homes for an approximate 14-month building period. In exchange, the families did not have a downpayment and they received an affordable mortgage from USDA Rural Development.
“For more than 36 years, NeighborWorks has been creating homeowners one borrower at a time,” Chief Executive Officer Lauretta Casimir-Mahoney said. “We are honored to walk these last eight homeowners across the finish line to homeownership.”
The new homeowners and a number of their new neighbors were treated Saturday to free lunch and shaved ice, while kids played in a bounce house.
Colusa County Supervisor Merced Corona said Saturday’s celebration of new Self-Help homes was his third.
Corona welcomed new homeowners to the Williams Self-Help neighborhood, as well as those who finished the first phase of homes in Arbuckle last year.
Several of the new homeowners lived in Arbuckle and Colusa County prior to building their new homes; others are putting down roots in Arbuckle for the first time.
While the new homebuyers contributed labor to the project, the quality of the homes is the same as the traditionally-built homes throughout the neighborhood.
“We did that for a reason – we did that for a purpose,” Corona told the new occupants.
That was so you can be proud of your home…It’s a good quality home that you are moving into. That is something to be proud of and that is something NeighborWorks prides themselves in: giving you a home that you can be extremely proud of; that you can pass on to your children and your children’s children down the road.” ■