Welcome Home Celebration in Orosi!

Welcome Home Celebration in Orosi!

Posted on June 22, 2023

On June 8th, Self-Help Enterprises proudly celebrated alongside nine participating families from their Mutual Self-Help Housing (MSHH) program who have completed building their own homes in Orosi. They welcomed the families and hosted a key ceremony in celebration of Homeownership Month and NeighborWorks Week. Twenty-eight more families are also currently building their homes in the Orosi community located at 12517 Ave 413 Orosi, CA 93647. Guests also had the opportunity to tour one of the newly built self-help homes.

The California State Director for USDA Rural Development, Maria Gallegos Herrera, presented the families with their keys and awarded them a certificate to recognize their significant achievement as homeowners.

“I’m thrilled to be here to celebrate with you all,” said Herrera. “It’s an honor to not only say you are homeowners but also that you built this home with your own hands and together as a community.”

Amidst California’s housing crisis, Self-Help housing presents families with one of the most crucial wealth-building tools: homeownership. Through SHE’s Mutual Self-Help Housing (MSHH) program, families are grouped together and agree to help each other build their houses with skilled onsite supervision and guidance of SHE construction staff. The homes are built under the mutual self-help method of construction where each family is required to contribute labor hours, or “sweat equity,” which are used as the down payment on their new home, reducing costs for a new home they could otherwise not afford.

Special mortgage financing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture makes these homes affordable. Additionally, the County of Tulare provided gap financing through its HOME and CalHome funding programs to ensure buyers could afford their monthly payments. All 37 families who are building their homes in Orosi are also graduates of SHE’s housing counseling and homebuyer education program.

Following the presentations of the keys to the families, one of the participants, Maria Gomez, shared what becoming a homeowner means to her and her family.

Maria has always dreamt of owning a home for her family. When her son was first diagnosed with autism six years ago, Maria worried if she could ever make that dream a reality. Her parents had previously built their own home through the MSHH program with SHE. Maria saw first-hand how much dedication went into building her parents’ home and that it was well worth it for them to become homeowners.

“When I first applied, I prayed that I would have the opportunity to make this dream come true for my family,” said Gomez. “In these past 14 months of construction, I have learned the true value of all of our hard work. This home will always be one of my greatest accomplishments.”

“We know that purchasing a home is a proven pathway to building wealth and economic resilience,” said Tom Collishaw, President and CEO of Self-Help Enterprises (SHE). “We are proud of our role in providing these opportunities for working families and excited to celebrate their accomplishment and to welcome them home!”

Self-Help Enterprises is committed to expanding its affordable housing efforts in Orosi. Its ongoing partnership with the USDA Rural Development, the State of California, and NeighborWorks has created an affordable homeownership opportunity for hundreds of low-income families throughout the San Joaquin Valley. Learn more about the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program

Learn more about the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program