Let's learn from housing mistakes

The federal government's mutual self-help housing program has allowed dozens of low-income Flathead Valley residents to become homeowners in the past four years.

In an arena of wildly escalating real-estate prices, these kinds of programs are lifelines for people of modest means. They keep the American dream alive for folks who otherwise could never afford to own their own homes.

The self-help program allows groups of eight to 10 low- and very low-income families or individuals to work together, bonding as neighbors and putting in "sweat equity" to complete their homes. It's a laudable goal.

Northwest Montana Human Resources, the nonprofit housing developer for this area, administers the program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture lends money at low interest rates.

Problems with the latest self-help project, Tiebucker Estates Phase II in Somers, have raised eyebrows. Among the difficulties were mold in crawl spaces, building-material delays, construction foremen who quit and subcontractors stretched thin by rapid growth in the valley.

Communication breakdowns between project administrators and an unusually large group of new homeowners also made the project troublesome.

Spokesmen for both Human Resources and the USDA say they've learned from mistakes made at the Somers project.

We hope so.

Both agencies admitted that the size of the project - 27 homes - made it difficult to stay on schedule. Some homeowners were apparently more committed than others, and that's human nature.

It is disturbing, though, to hear that homeowners felt "strong-armed and belittled" as they tried to get answers to their questions about the mold and construction delays. It's also unsettling to learn that a former project coordinator believes employees working with the self-help program aren't being properly trained.

An assessment of the Somers project by Rural Community Assistance Corp. will address these red flags and other trouble spots. The private nonprofit organization was hired by USDA to provide technical and management assistance for the self-help project.

A consultant with the nonprofit organization already is working to find out "why things got so out of hand."

Since tax dollars ultimately pay for programs such as mutual self-help housing, it's important to have this kind of oversight and review.

The consultant will make a recommendation to the USDA about Northwest Montana Human Resources' performance on the self-help housing project. Grant administrators are graded, and if they don't meet requirements, they can be assessed as high-risk.

As another 24-home self-help project begins yet this summer, we hope the human-resource agency can proceed smoothly and on schedule this go-round. The Flathead Valley needs low-income housing projects to continue.