Self-Help Home Builders and new owners standing in front of one of the 12 new homes they built together in Atascadero. The 12 families built 70 percent of the new homes themselves. Courtesy photo
ATASCADERO — Twelve families who worked together to build the majority of their brand new homes under the supervision of Peoples’ Self-Help Housing (PSHH) received the keys to their homes during a ceremony held on Dec. 4, the organization reported this week in a media release.
Having begun construction in early 2013, the Self-Help Home Builders began working on their homes in 2013, and that hard work paid off during the 2 p.m. ceremony at the houses on Atalaya Street in Atascadero, officials reported. About 100 people braved the rainy weather in order to celebrate with the new owners, who began moving in soon after receiving their keys.
The families’ labor, or “sweat-equity” reduced the cost of the homes and eliminated the requirement for a down payment. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provided construction and mortgage loans.
Ronald Tackett, Housing Program director for USDA Rural Development, traveled from Sacramento to officially present the families with their house keys and certificates of completion. Atascadero Mayor Tom O’Malley also made congratulatory remarks.
The low income households worked together to perform 70 percent of the construction for the three- and four-bedroom houses. This included forming the foundations, framing, roofing, siding, interior finish and landscaping. Subcontractors took care of some of the specialty work, including plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical, drywall, and stucco.
The homes are very energy efficient, meeting Energy Star 3.0 requirements, and local nonprofit GRID Alternatives Central Coast installed photovoltaic solar systems on the homes that aren’t shaded by mature oak trees in the area. The houses also have two baths, two-car garages, large porches and feature tile and laminate flooring.
Self-Help Home Builders and officials from the USDA stand in front of one of the 12 new homes in Atascadero. Courtesy photo
Tackett serves as the Housing Program director for USDA Rural Development working out of the Davis, California office Managing Single Family Housing Guarantee and Direct Loan Programs for the State of California. Total loan activity in these programs total $900 million annually. Prior to this assignment, he worked as Area Director out of the Oroville California Rural Development office where he managed production of Housing, Business & Industry Guarantee Loans, Community Facility Loans, and Rural Utility loans all in Rural California. In total, he has worked for USDA Rural Development for 25 years. Prior to his career with USDA Rural Development, Ronald worked for a Bio-Tech seed company in Oregon as a marketing representative. Ronald’s favorite thing to do is fly-fishing with his 11-year-old daughter, Macey, and help her with her homework. Ronald is a graduate of Washington State University in Agricultural Economics and resides in Chico, CA.
About PSHH: Founded in 1970, PSHH is an award winning non-profit organization that develops affordable housing and community facilities for low-income households and homeownership opportunities for working families and special needs populations, such as seniors, the disabled, veterans, and the formerly homeless. With over 1,200 homes completed and nearly 1,600 rental units developed and now managed by PSHH, it is the largest affordable housing developer on the Central Coast with offices in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. For more information, visit www.pshhc.org or call 805-781-3088 or 805-699-7227.