Ten low-to-moderate income families celebrated the completion and received the keys to their brand new homes built through Housing Hope’s Team HomeBuilding Program on Friday, August 14. The families and their friends have been working diligently as a team since February 2014 on all the homes, which are located in the French Creek plat at the 17500 block of 127th St SE, Snohomish WA.

Several family members of the Homeowner-Builders attended the event, as well as a representative from Congresswoman Suzan DelBene’s office. Director of Snohomish County Human Services Mary Jane Brell Vujovic spoke at the event, sharing her excitement in this new accomplishment of the Owner/Builders.
“Once you’ve done this, you can do anything,” Brell Vujovic told the group.

One of the Homeowner-Builder’s, Holly Garman, spoke at the event about their experience building not only their own homes, but also the other nine in the cul-de-sac. Part of Team HomeBuilding’s program is everyone has to help with all of the homes, not just their own, and no one moves in until they are all done. This helps build a community bond. 

Garman shared her story of getting into the group in the eleventh hour after another family dropped out. She expressed gratitude in being given the opportunity and excitement in what’s to come. “We didn’t build a house, we built a community,” said Garman.

When the building started more than 17 months ago, the homes were being built for 16 adults and 17 children. During the build two babies were born and one couple got married. Seven households are single mothers. The group averaged almost 2,000 hours of labor per household and family volunteers added an additional 6,000 hours.
Housing Hope’s Chief Operating Officer Fred Safstrom estimates each family already has approximately $80,000 in equity in their brand new Energy Star homes on half acre lots in a high demand location.

“You can be homeowners for the rest of your lives,” said Safstrom.

Construction loans and other funds were provided by the United States Department of Agriculture – Rural Development (USDA-RD), HUD via Community Frameworks, Snohomish County and WA State Department of Commerce Housing Trust Fund. The USDA Mutual Self Help Housing Program has been in existence since the mid-1960’s and has helped more than 40,000 families, unable to obtain homeownership by any other means, move into a new, safe, affordable homes throughout rural America. Housing Hope has been a grantee of the USDA-RD program since 1992 and receives grant funding to administer technical assistance for the program. Housing Hope has now assisted with the completion of 267 homes with this program across rural Snohomish County.

Currently, another building group of 13 families are well into construction of townhomes in the city of Monroe. Housing Hope is currently accepting applications for other future build sites in rural Snohomish County. Those interested in more information or becoming a homeowner through the Team HomeBuilding Homeownership Program should contact Housing Hope at 425.347.6556 x 230 or email homes@housinghope.org.