CHIP Helps Five Families in Linda Become Homeowners
Desiree Gonzalez of CHIP hands keys to new homeowners Chad Her and Zer Lee. Photo credit: Tehama Group Communications
LINDA—Five North State families got keys to new homes last week after working for months to build them. Participants in Community Housing Improvement Program’s (CHIP) mutual self-help housing performed walkthroughs of their homes with USDA Rural Development and signed final paperwork on September 27 at the second phase of CHIP’s Sierra Vista subdivision.
Families build their homes in groups of five or six under the supervision of CHIP’s construction staff. Each household dedicates at least 30 hours per week in labor towards building their new homes and help each other during the process, which takes under a year. All homes must be finished before anyone moves in.
House plans included 3-5 bedrooms priced around $200,000, with no down payment, affordable monthly payments and low fixed interest rates. USDA Rural Development provides funding assistance for these programs. Builders from this program must make at or below 80 percent median income for the county in which they build, have decent credit, and earn enough income to make monthly payments on the loan.
CHIP also has other developments with available lots in Corning and Cottonwood, as well as an interest list for other areas. For more information about self-help housing, contact Judy Orozco at 530-891-6931 x233 or email jorozco@chiphousing.org
Community Housing Improvement Program
CHIP is a private, non-profit corporation providing quality affordable self-help housing, rental apartment communities and housing-related services to seven Northern California counties. The organization has built more than 2,000 housing units in the North Valley since 1973.
