Senators announce $900,000 self-help housing grant

Dollars Will Put 32 Montana Families On The Road To Homeownership

(WASHINGTON,  D.C.) – Montana's U.S. Senators are proud to announce an $896,000 self-help housing grant that will put 32 Montana families into their first homes in the next two years.  The money will be used to provide recruitment, screening, loan packaging and other assistance to for the families hoping to build homes within the Kalispell city limits.

Low-income families must invest their own time and effort into building the homes, dedicating 35 hours a week to construction efforts. To qualify, the future home owners must hold fulltime jobs and have reasonably good credit.  The program, called mutual self help housing is coordinated by the Northwest Montana Human Resources, Inc.

"These dollars are about helping Montanans help themselves," said Senator Baucus. "Investments like this prove our commitment to Montana families. We're working to bring more good paying jobs to Montana, so that every hard working Montanan can become a homeowner. Programs like this will guarantee these hard working folks have a reason to stay in Montana and to keep investing in the local and state economy."

"This is a good chance to give deserving Montana families a chance to build and own their own homes," Tester said. "It's money that will go to work for a lot of hardworking folks, and it's a tremendous way to support families, invest in Montana's economy and build communities all at once."

The families will aid in the building of not only their own homes but the homes of other families in the program. The first group of homeowners is expected to start building in July of 2008. The homes take between 9 and 10 months to complete.