Sweat opens doors to home ownership

Rachel Calles figured she and her husband would have to save for years before they could buy a home in the Flathead big enough for their four boys.

But with the help of a local program, the family expects to move into a new, four-bedroom home in Somers around the end of January.

"This [program] has opened that door for us," Calles said.

The Mutual Self Help Housing Program administered by Northwest Montana Human Resources made their dream come true. Calles helps build 20 homes as part of a team that includes all the homeowners.

Over the course of a year, each family puts in a minimum of 32 hours a week on the job site. Because her husband works full-time, Calles took on much of the responsibility for their family's sweat equity.

"I was working about 50 hours a week," she said.

The program allows people who meet guidelines to buy a home without a down payment and closing costs. Participants need just $500 for a credit report and construction insurance.

Their equity means more affordable house payments. For a four-bedroom home, homeowners end up with a $115,000 loan on a house which appraises for thousands more.

Calles admits she was intimidated by the thought of building a whole house. She said she had only helped out on some remodeling projects before this program.

She also was concerned about committing to work 32 hours a week for 10 months. Calles has a full-time job just caring for her boys, ages 13, 10, 6 and 3.

Now near the end of the project, she recommends others consider getting involved in building the next houses.

"It's been fun," she said. "You learn new things."

Michelle Reeves, the family group organizer, anticipates 28 openings next year. She explained that the money comes through the U.S. Department of Agriculture which initiated the program for migrant workers in the 1960s.

"This is our third year," she said.

In 2002, families built eight houses on Buttercup off Willow Glen. The program helped 16 families build homes in 2003 - eight in Columbia Falls on Darlene Road and eight in Kalispell on Coot Court.

This year, participants are building their 20 homes on lots in a subdivision off Sunnybrook Lane in Somers. The development has sewer, water, sidewalks and street lights.

The income guidelines for Flathead County allow a family of four to make up to $37,750. The Calles family of six could make up to $43,800 and still qualify.

Although the program has some single dads and moms, Reeves said couples have an easier time performing the required 32 hours in labor each week.

Reeves said people don't need carpentry skills or tools to qualify, just the need for decent housing. The program provides the equipment as well as foremen.

"We are facilitators," Reeves said. "They are the builders."

Professional subcontractors install the plumbing, wiring, heating, drywall, flooring, siding, driveways and sidewalks. The families do everything else from framing to roofing.

To qualify, applicants need $500, workable credit and enough income after debt to pay loan payments. A person's housing expense can equal between 29 percent and 33 percent of monthly income.

The interest rate comes fixed at 6.125 percent, although the program may subsidize that interest down to 1 percent, depending on the family size and income.

"Some families who were paying $700 for rent got into a house for $500 a month," Reeves said.

The process begins by contacting Reeves at 758-5411 or going to Northwest Montana Human Resources at 214 Main St., Kalispell, to pick up an application. Action on an application takes up to two months.

The larger homes with three or four bedrooms offer homeowners a choice of two models. Reeves describes them as modest but attractive homes.

Families approved for participation attend preconstruction meetings in February where they take a home-buyers course, a one-day tool training course and view videos to prepare them for the home-building team experience.

An exciting moment in the preconstruction meetings comes when couples learn which lot they will live on.

"What we have is a lot lotto," Reeves explained.

Calles recalled that meeting last spring. She said her husband was getting upset as she held off going up to draw their lot.

"I was the last to pick and I got the perfect lot," she said with a laugh.

Their new home looks out onto a big farm, fields, mountains and a backyard view of the lake.

On April 1, the family teams go to work building their houses. Reeves said a foreman supervises the job sites at all times.

"Next year we'll have three," she said.

Although the foremen bring carpentry skills to the site, Reeves emphasized that they don't build the houses for the families. She said they teach the homeowners, organize and supervise the teams.

"We have inspections done by approved government inspectors," she said.

Reeves said the participants build friendships with their future neighbors along with the houses. She said they help each other with child care and occasionally have barbecues and other social events.

She doesn't minimize the difficulty of the task to aspiring homeowners.

"We tell them it will be the hardest thing they ever did and also the most rewarding thing they ever did," Reeves said.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.