STANWOOD, Wash — Nine families in Snohomish County received the keys to houses they built themselves with the help of a local program, Team HomeBuild.
Team HomeBuild helps low-income families on their journey to homeownership by giving them the opportunity to build their own neighborhoods from the ground up.
The program, administered by the Snohomish County nonprofit Housing Hope, allows families to use sweat equity as a down payment on their new houses. For over a year, all nine families worked in their off-hours, alongside licensed professionals, building their own homes.
The initiative is part of a Department of Agriculture rural development program called Mutual Self Help Housing. The program has been around since 1976 and has helped more than 50,000 families build their own homes.
“These families have put in around 20,000 hours of sweat equity and have been out here working nights and weekends for 16 months!” said the Team HomeBuild Manager Tonya Ward.
The Standish family was one of the nine families who received the keys to their new home on Wednesday. Kayla and her husband Doug have three children and said they couldn't have kept the jobs they love and own a home without Housing Hope.
"You know, everyone has neighbors but not everyone gets to build their home with their neighbors," Kayla said.
She and her husband spent their off-hours installing cabinets, flooring, decks and more.
Wednesday's key ceremony was a smaller gathering than normal due to COVID-19 concerns but the new homeowners were smiling through their masks as 16 months of work is now mostly complete.
Ward said even after 24 years on the job, she is overwhelmed with joy seeing families reach their goal.
“They go through a lot to get here and I often tell people it’s like a pregnancy. Everyone is excited at first and then by the end a bit miserable and cranky but that all changes when you get that little bundle of joy. That’s the keys to their new home and it’s always so heartwarming,” Ward said.