RurAL CAP marks over 100 homes constructed by mutual self-help program

The Rural Alaska Community Action Program on Thursday celebrated a milestone of more than 100 homes constructed through their Mutual Self-Help Home Build initiative — gathering new homeowners down Mackey Lake Road to celebrate the residences they’d had a hand in building.

The new row of homes — soon to be occupied by their builders — brings the total number of homes constructed by the program to 102.

Elizabeth Milliken, chief program officer for RurAL CAP, said her organization has been helping people in the central Kenai Peninsula build homes since 2007.

“Nearly 20 years ago, in partnership with USDA Rural Development, we took steps to address the urgent need for quality, affordable housing across the Kenai Peninsula,” she said. “102 families have embraced the opportunity to build their own homes and secure a brighter future through the mutual self-help housing program.”

The program, she said, helps people achieve “the dream of home ownership” by building the walls and roofs that will shelter their families. Soon, she said, the program will expand beyond the Kenai Peninsula to new builds planned for Seward and Kodiak.

Mi’Shell French, director of rural housing for RurAL CAP, said the program is a response to Alaska’s housing crisis that also employs local contractors, increases the local tax base and generates workforce development opportunities.

To get involved, she said, people complete a screening application to see if they can qualify for the direct mortgage and invest the hours needed to build their house. Partner families don’t need to have experience with construction because project supervisors provide guidance and all the families work together to build the homes in groups — no one moves in until each house in a group is completed.

Milliken described the row of around a half-dozen new homes, located off of Mackey Lake Road, as “the Tatum Site.” The process of construction stretched over roughly 18 months, and on Thursday, RurAL CAP staff gave tours of one of the homes, ready and waiting for a family to move in.

Professional contractors complete the skilled labor, like plumbing, ventilation, foundations and roofing, but French said the families complete the framework, walls, painting and cabinets, among other things.

“A lot of families wouldn’t have the opportunity, with the prices of real estate right now,” she said. “That sweat equity is what’s helping to make the homes affordable for families.”

Since 2009, French said, she’s been involved with developing the program, to the point where now they feel comfortable expanding beyond the central peninsula. In Seward and Kodiak, “you can’t really go down to the local hardware store and pick up what you need.”

For more information, visit ruralcap.org.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.